Soccer is a Contact Sport

Anyone who tries to argue soccer is not a contact sport has no idea what they’re talking about.  Just ask Didier Drogba who might still not be sure where he is after he suffered that concussion against Norwich early this season in the English Premier League.

Indiana Class A soccer isn’t quite the EPL, but while spending my whole Saturday cover both the boys and girls playing a total of four games, there was plenty of contact, and a lot of good soccer to watch.  The girls team won their first semi-state game on Saturday morning after a late foul in the box and a penalty kick placed just outside the reach of the goalkeeper put them ahead 2-1.  They weren’t as lucky in their semi-state final where the game remained tied with just under 4 minutes to play when Providence managed to break the deadlock to win 1-0.

The Mater Dei boys team, on the other hand, wrote the book on how to play high school soccer.  Their first semi-state game ended 6-3, but the score is misleading, it was only close for the first 5 minutes.  Greencastle scored right out the gate, but Travis Wannemuehler, Mater Dei’s wonderkid midfielder, performed a hat trick as Mater Dei scored 6 unanswered goals before Greencastle nabbed a few back in the final minutes.

I didn’t see much of their semi-state final, as the girls game stayed close the whole way through, and they were played at the same time on neighboring fields, but Wannemuehler apparently achieved another hat trick, and there was plenty of contact as three yellow cards and a red were shown.  Most of the fouls seemed to stem from Lawrenceburg’s attacking Wannemuehler.

I got lucky enough to get this shot from the girls field, through a group of spectators lined up along the fence when I peaked over to see the score and noticed players setting up in the box for a free kick.

Gallery: Mater Dei rolls Greencastle

Gallery: Mater Dei defeats Lawrenceburg

Gallery: Mater Dei Girls edge Lawrenceburg

Gallery: Mater Dei Girls fall to Providence

Mater Dei's Andy Hamilton (4) collides with Lawrenceburg goalkeeper Michael Lynch, right, as Mater Dei midfielder Brennan Murphy (12) and Lawrenceburg forward Mick Murphy, left, also crash in on the play as they all attempt to reach the ball off of a free kick in the first half of Mater Dei's 4-0 win over Lawrenceburg in their semi-state final on Saturday evening, October 22, 2011.