The Irish always believed. Cathedral High School girls soccer built toward the postseason in that fashion in 2026 – and the result was one of the program’s more memorable and satisfying seasons in recent memory. This was a resilient team, and an impressive one. “This team is one of the toughest mindset-wise that I've had in a long time,” Mark Behringer said. The Irish in Behringer’s 31st season as head coach lost in a regional semifinal to Noblesville, 0-0 – 8-7 in a penalty shootout – at Cathedral. They finished the season 12-5-2 – 13th in the Indiana Soccer Coaches Association rankings. “I really believe it was a very successful season,” he said. “The girls really built an identity.” Behringer added of the final loss, “When the game was over, they were really crushed. We expected to win that game and had really good opportunities to win that game that just didn't go our way. You go to a shootout at the end, that's kind of like flipping a coin.” The Irish won the Class 3A Section 10 tournament with a 9-0 victory over Warren Central in the title game. They beat Lawrence Central 3-1 in the first round of the sectional before beating a strong Lawrence North team, 1-0, in the sectional semifinal. Sophomore Saige Usher’s early goal keyed the victory over Lawrence North, a dramatic victory over a strong team – and a game that defined the Irish’s approach in 2026. “The girls just came in with a great mindset,” Behringer said. “By the end of the season, I told them, ‘We're the kind of team that's just going to keep playing and keep playing until the end,’ and that's what we did. The coaches knew we were going work and outwork opposing teams, which we did.” A defining moment came late in the loss to Noblesville, with the first five penalty shooters – and the five extra shooters after that – ready for their roles before being organized by coaches. “In all my time going to penalty kicks through the years, this is the first team that's ever been ready to go with not just the first five, but the next five kickers as well,” Behringer said. “I'm just very proud of them not just for their play and the successes they had on the field, but their obvious growth as people to be able to step up in those situations.” Added Behringer, “The experience the girls had this year is going to serve them very well, not just for the girls that are coming back next year, but the seniors – who I think are a big reason why the team became what it became.” The Irish in ’26 also won the City title in convincing fashion – with victories over Covenant Chistian (9-1) and Bishop Chatard (3-0) – and also won the annual traveling trophy with Brebeuf Jesuit with a 2-1 victory in their regular-season matchup. “This team comes away from the season with three trophies, which not a lot of my teams over the years have been able to do,” Behringer said. “I definitely felt like the girls throughout the course of the season built an identity as a team through a lot of really challenging games. “We kept a lot of games really close during the regular season. Then they just played the city tournament and played the teams right off the field, leaving no doubt in that tournament where we were compared to everybody else in the city.” The Irish in 2026 were a young team with a bright future, one led by a core group of strong seniors: *Quinn Usher (seven goals, six assists), a team captain who will play collegiately at Akron. *Centerback Eliza Coe (one goal, one assist), a team captain. *Left wingback and four-year varsity player Grace Drewry (two goals, five assists)), a team captain. *Maryn O’Brien. *Georgia Jenkins (one goal). *Sophia Graziano. *Nina Weisiger (one assist). “I'm very proud of the senior class for the season we had,” Behringer said. “The seniors were a big reason the team became what it became.” Behringer said the same is true of a strong group of underclassmen, with sophomore Saige Usher a player to whom other teams must pay attention. Key to the future, too, is a strong junior class that could form one of Irish girls soccer’s strongest senior classes in recent memory. That junior class included, among multiple others: Shailoh Neu (team-high 10 goals in 2026, nine assists), Brooklyn Nickols (seven goals, two assists), Kelsey Kauffman (seven goals, six assists) and Grace Sinsabaugh (two goals, two assists). “Those four in particular, will have a big leadership role, and will have a lot to say about just how well we do next year,” Behringer said. “They all were major pieces of our success this year. The group that comes back, the core that comes back, really should set us up for again a very successful season next year.”