On Saturday, Aug. 12, the Bloomington South girls soccer team traveled to Jasper High School to play in their first match of the 2023 season. While there were players who were putting on their uniforms for the first and last time, none could have predicted that their season would take them all the way to the State Finals.

The Panthers started off the season with a 2-1 win at Jasper followed by a 3-0 win over Center Grove in the second match of their campaign.

After their trip to Center Grove, the team traveled to Newburgh to take on Castle High School. In a hard-fought match, the Panthers lost 4-0.

According to senior Katharine Lacy, Castle is “always a very physical team,” contributing to the shock of the loss.

The team rebounded from the setback, going on a 4-game undefeated stretch. However, their stretch was brought to an end by Evansville Reitz, 2-1.

After the Panther’s second loss of the season, they quickly recovered, embarking on an impressive 12-game winning streak. This streak was highlighted by their 8-0 rout of cross-town rival Bloomington North against whom the Panthers have not allowed a Cougar goal since 2018.

Even after their success, it wasn’t a certainty that the State Finals would be within reach.

“I mean, I always hoped we would [make it to State], but I never really thought we would. If I think about it, it still doesn’t feel real,” Lacy said.

A big part of the team’s success was a result of them knowing themselves, each other, and playing to their strengths.

“We passed so much. [It’s] what made us different from [other teams] and got us so far. Having [a] connection off the field helped us pass on the field, so that was really helpful. We did everything together, on and off the field, and I think that showed when we played. We worked through our midfield, so a lot of [teams] didn’t know what to do when that happened,” Lacy said.

With all of their success in mind, for the remainder of the season, the team maintained the same mindset and routine before each game.

Freshman Ali Stolberg explained, “Before the games we all liked to do our regular things. Regular warmups, regular hairdos, everything just to be ready and the same.”

“We just knew we had to not try to do anything new or anything fancy, and just stay in the moment and not think about later,” sophomore Valerie Bunde said.

After the team’s exceptional performance against Bloomington North, the Panthers went on to win Conference Indiana for the third straight year, defeating Columbus North 2-1.

The Panthers won three more consecutive games before beginning their Sectional journey versus Terre Haute North. In their game against the Patriots, Lacy led the Panthers with an impressive hat trick to carry the team to a 3-0 Sectional victory.

Next, the Panthers took on Franklin Central in the Regional Semi. They won 2-1 to advance to the Regional Finals at home versus Castle, hungry for redemption.

Both teams were held scoreless for the full 94 minutes before heading into overtime and penalty kicks. South prevailed after 8 penalty kicks with a 1-0 victory and took the regional championship trophy as they headed to Semi-State.

On Oct. 21, the Panthers faced off against Cathedral in their Semi-State game, which took place in Columbus. Cathedral had previously defeated #1 seeded Carmel 2-1 to advance. The Panthers came out on top, leading them to their first State Finals appearance in 20 years.

Finally, on Oct. 28, the Panthers played their final game of the season against the Noblesville Millers at Michael A. Carroll Track and Soccer Stadium on IUPUI’s campus in Indianapolis.

Lacy scored the only goal for the Panthers, just seven minutes into the match.

The Panthers suffered a heartbreaking 3-1 loss against the defending champion Millers.

“It was a really cool experience. Even though we lost, it was just a big field and there was this big replay board and there were a lot of people,” Bunde said.

“It was really sad [that we lost], but we were just happy that we made it there and proud of ourselves,” Stolberg said.

Reflecting on their season, the team hopes that their 2023 season will inspire future South girls soccer players.

“I think it’ll be set as a goal for next year. Now, we’re all gonna wanna win so bad to get far again next year,” Stolberg said.

Bunde built on Stolberg’s statement, explaining, “One of our teammate’s younger sisters is going to be a freshman next year. Just knowing that we can go to State and [for her to think] like, ‘Oh! They can go to State. Why can’t I go to State?’ is [something we can build on].”

The Panthers have a lot to be proud of from their historic 2023 run to the State Finals, building momentum as they head into their 2024 season.