They worked, they fought and they grew. That the 2025 Cathedral High School boys soccer season didn’t end as the Irish wanted didn’t make the season unsuccessful. They played with heart against a tough schedule, remaining a state power. Even if it wasn’t easy. “It was a fun group,” Joel Russell said. “I wish we could have given these guys a little bit more. It’s tough to navigate the schedule we had and to stay positive. This team had something to prove. “I'm happy with how our team came together.” The Irish, playing with a smaller-than-usual roster in Russell’s sixth season as coach, spent the 2025 season ranked in the top 20 in the state. They finished 10-6-3, losing in penalty kicks in the Class 3A, Section 10 tournament. The Irish beat Herron 6-0 in the first round at sectional before losing 2-2 to Lawrence North, 5-4 in penalty kicks in the semifinal. The Irish trailed 2-0 early before rallying with goals in the 70th and 88th minute. “It was an interesting game,” Russell said. “It was a testament to the players to battle back. They really battled back and the momentum was all in our favor. LN pivoted and they started to put more guys forward. “We ended up going to penalty kicks. They were 5-for-5 and we were 4-for-5.” The Irish in 2025 played what Russell called the “hardest schedule we’ve ever had with the smallest roster we’ve ever had.” “We weren't very deep, but our boys were battle-tested,” Russell said. “One of the reasons we came back two goals down with 20 minutes to play with the season on the line is they were battle-tested. We played some really good schools all over the state of Indiana and even in Kentucky. “To be the best, you have to beat the best. You can learn from a 6-0 game, but you can learn a lot more from in a 2-1 game or a 1-0 game. I try to schedule the absolute best. It shows us who we are as a team. “We were ready for the challenge, and we just ran out of luck in the penalty kicks.” The Irish in ’25 managed that difficult schedule with a balanced offense and solid defense, winning a slew of close games while adjusting to the loss of All-State striker Calvin Kurzawa – the 2025 Indiana Soccer Coaches Association Player of the Year. “He covered a lot of our mistakes with his ability to score goals,” Russell said. “It took us a little bit of time to figure out how we were going to score.” The Irish in 2025 were led by a strong senior class that included: Goaltender Blake Sales, midfielder Quinn Bateman, midfielder Colin Jackson, midfielder Jordan Wedges, defender Jackson Massillamany, defender Alden Chan, forward Brogan McGinley, defender Jacob Hahn, midfielder Rohan Fahey, defender August Hassler, defender Ryan Helmen and forward Miles Murphy. “I could appreciate the growth of our players,” Russell said. “I think we had more in our tank. Our season prepared us for a run. We were ready. It’s just disappointing we just didn't catch a break in the penalty. “Some of that’s skill, some of its luck and both of them did not add up to a Cathedral win. I think it was a very close bunch of guys. I saw them supporting each other.” Wedges was a four-year starter, with Sale, Bateman and McGinley playing key roles throughout their high-school careers. “I could've started 11 seniors,” Russell said. “That's only happened one other time in the years I've been at Cathedral, and these kids have been with me all four years. There are some kids who have been around the program that I’m going to miss.” Junior forward Karol Molina-Gomez led the Irish with 11 goals, with Bateman adding five goals and Massillamany scoring four and Wedges adding three. “It took us a little bit of time, but we had the right ingredients to make a run,” Russell said. “If we had gotten out of the semifinal, that could have been the slingshot we needed. It didn’t bounce our way. “We had a new assistant coach, Larz Coy. His comment to me early in the season was, ‘Our margin of error is so tight.’ It was one-goal games all season and were in almost every singles game battling. Maybe it was a small roster, or a bunch of injuries. That stuff starts to add up.” Russell said while the Irish will be small in stature next season – “I candidly joke we’ll be the best 5-feet-7 soccer team in the state,” he said – he said the Irish will have talented players returning such as sophomore midfielder Liam Horan, Molina-Gomez, freshman Beckett Milewski and freshman defender Jackson Cripe. “We’ll be young,” Russell said. “We need those guys to grow, so next year's team will be interesting. We may not be big and we’ll be young, so we'll take our lumps but it should be a fun group of kids to coach soccer and maybe we can get after some teams with that ability.”