Western Boone Jr. - Sr. High School

The Western Boone boys soccer team knew they had a tough challenge on their hands when they faced Crawfordsville in the sectional opener on Wednesday evening at Danville. And while the Stars’ season ended with a 6-0 loss to the Athenians, that didn’t tell the whole story of how well Western Boone played for a majority of the game. “I am super proud of them,” Western Boone head coach Stephanie Kennedy said. “It wasn’t until our red card late that things started to go sideways. We played them really early in the season, which was hard because it was a conference game. But for 60-70 minutes tonight, we were right there down 2-0 against a team like Crawfordsville. I am really proud of them.” The Stars and Athenians played in the opening game of the season, with Crawfordsville coming away with a 10-2 victory. The Athenians came into the sectional scoring more than four goals a game and had a 13-3 record. Tuesday showed though that despite the Stars’ 3-9 record, they have come a long way since that opener in early August. “Their growth, not only on the field, but we have been working a lot on the mental aspects,” Kennedy said. “We are trying to get them past this losing mentality per say. Their aggressiveness and mindset is probably what I am most proud of, because the last couple of years I haven’t seen that.” The Athenians led 2-0 at halftime, including one fluky go that appeared to go out, but ended up going off the post and in. Early in the second half, the Stars had some opportunities off free kicks deep in Crawfordsville’s side of the field, but were unable to capitalize. The Stars received a red card midway through the second half, and while they still continued to battle, they conceded four goals down the stretch to provide the final margin. While the Stars offense had moments this year, including a memorable 10-1 win over Rossville, they didn’t have it consistently enough, scoring just 13 goals in the other 12 games. “We have been telling them it all comes down to the little things,” Kennedy said. “If we can do those, we are a decent team but could become a great team.” The Stars finish the season with three wins, their most since 2017. And while it was frustrating at times, the Stars have showed signs of turning it around. “Their growth compared to the last couple of years has been good,” Kennedy said. “From when I starting to get a few years under my belt with these kids and it is nice to see where we started to where we are going.” Will Willems is the Sports Editor of the Lebanon Reporter. Follow him on X @Will_Willems.