Freshman goalkeeper McKenzie Cochran stands out for Chesterton in 1-0 loss to host Crown Point, keeping Bulldogs scoreless until 2:29 remained in the game

Tom Keegan
Onwardtrojans.com

The cruelest thing about finishing on the wrong side of the hyphen in a final score is that at least in the moment that one set of symbols overpowers everything.
Never mind that the Chesterton girls soccer team lost to host Crown Point in the regional semifinal, 1-0, Thursday night by the slimmest of margins against the longest of odds, being on the wrong side of the hyphen meant that the season was over and that a team that had grown so close and improved so much would not play together again as a group.
Hence, tears ran down long faces and the slow, quiet walk to the bus no doubt seemed uphill for a bunch of athletes who played the No. 8 team in the state 3A rankings to a standstill until Addy Sabau scored from close range with 2:29 remaining in regulation.
Finally, Crown Point, which repeatedly had seared shots at Trojans freshman goalkeeper McKenzie Cochran in the second half, found the net. Cochran went horizontal to her right, but Sabau had placed the shot beyond her reach.
The Bulldogs (17-2) moved onto Saturday’s regional final vs. host Penn. And the Trojans (15-5) went home too pained by the near miss to think about anything but that, too soon to reflect on just what a terrific season they played, finishing second in the DAC with a 6-1 record, never losing to a team ranked outside the top 13 in the state, defeating No. 14 Lake Central, three teams ranked in the the 2A poll: No. 1. Mishawaka Marian, No. 4 South Bend St. Joseph and No. 12 Hanover Central.
Time will allow those memories to take the lead, but on Thursday night the grief was too fresh.
Memories of the final game of the 2025 season will center on Cochran, who fielded an estimated 17 shots on goal, compared to five for Chesterton.
“Look at that,” eighth-year Chesterton coach Ben Forgey said. “She’s playing in a regional seminal, as mature as that is, for about 75 minutes keeping a clean sheet, to expect a freshman to do that, I never would. She’s just been beyond our expectations. She’s been very serious, very good and you could count on her to make any save you hope a goalie would make.”
Cochran, who plays in the field during club soccer season, beat out seniors Suri Desch and Natalie Pieters for the job.
“I want to give credit to the seniors who played behind her, the two backup goalies. They loved everything about McKenzie and wanted her to do great,” Forgey said. “It wasn’t an unhealthy competition. It was McKenzie’s won the position and we’re going to support her 100. And they did that. And they helped her to be strong.”
Forgey appreciated intangibles such as those about this senior class, and obviously, far less subtle contributions about a class he repeatedly had called “the best in the region.”
Adey Avey gutted out back troubles that plagued her throughout the second half of her four-year Chesterton career and totaled 25 goals and 17 assists as a senior. Strong, powerful, smart Claire Vrahoretis added 13 goals, 11 assists and had a big say in which team had more possessions throughout the season. Speedy Eva Montes scored 15 goals. Center back Salina Ford joined her three classmates on the All-DAC team.
“When it ends, it’s hard to say, but it was an enjoyable season,” Forgey said. “It had some ups and downs but mostly ups because the girls cared about each other and they cared about doing a good job and they wanted this bad, really bad. It’s going to hurt because they were right there. To go 75 minutes and know that you’ve got a chance to move on and do something even more special. I mean, it was a good season, but to know that they could have done a little more is going to hurt. Unfortunately, that’s sport. You can’t have both teams walk away winners. Crown Point, to their credit, kept going too and they got the game-winner at the end.”
The season’s final game came on the one-month anniversary of a 4-0 loss at Crown Point.
“If you look at the two games we played against Crown Point this year, in the regular season we got battered, and we were shaken and we were not good,” Forgey said. “It wasn’t for a lack trying but there was just a sense of uncertainty, and I don’t think we were convinced we could win that game earlier in the season. This game, the girls were convinced they were going to win the game, and they played on the front foot, and they played a game they can be proud of.”
Forgey had his team play a decidedly more defensive approach than in the first game and with Vrahoretis playing closer to the goal and turning so many balls in the other direction, it worked.
“The first time we played them we got beat up in midfield a little bit so to have her strength and stability at the center of the base of our midfield I thought was going to give us the best chance to stay in the game and be organized and tough to play against,” Forgey said.
Well-planned, well-executed.
Lest anyone think the Bulldogs have slipped since that game, consider that in the regular season they needed overtime to defeat Lake Central, 1-0. In sectional play, they trounced LC 5-0.
Proud is the best word to capture Forgey’s feelings on his eighth Chesterton team.
“It’s going to sting,” Forgey said. “It hurts, knowing that it’s over, especially with the group of seniors that we had and the way they led and the way they showed compassion and showed intensity and showed competitiveness. They were everything you would hope a senior class could be.”