Tipp soccer cherishes recent success

They didn’t make the kind of tournament run they had hoped for, but for the Tippecanoe boys soccer team, the season was definitely a success as they recently fell to Indian Hill in the district finals at Bellbrook.

But the program has more than established itself over the past several years, including two state championships. More recently, a 95-game MVL streak that will carry over into next season, where the Red Devils have not lost a conference game.

“Our first goal was to win a conference championship, and we did that,” said Tipp coach Joel Slyman. “We kept that streak going, and it is now at 95 games, which is pretty impressive. The guys are proud of that.”

“The past five to six years, we have had this success in the postseason. If you don’t get past the district final, people outside of our nucleus may not think it was a successful season. A district title is tough, there were four to five years in a row where we didn’t win a district title. It’s very difficult in Southwest Ohio to win that game. We think it was a successful one. Disappointing? Maybe not because we played a very good team. We are appreciative of the expectations because that means we have done something right.”

Slyman also is very proud of what his kids have accomplished in the conference with that current streak.

“We like to make our non-conference opponents as tough as possible. We know there are some conference opponents that are not as competitive as others,” he said. “But we have some good rivalries with Troy and Butler, and Sidney always gives a run for our money, so we absolutely respect the competition in our league.”

Slyman also praised the seniors who are leaving this program. Including players like Landon Haas, who not only had to endure a very difficult season personally but kept it together to close out a career where his name will be etched in the school record books.

“This year, you may not have seen the same stats as his junior season, but last year may be the best single-season someone has had in a Tipp soccer uniform,” Slyman said. “The number of big moments he had last year to lead us to the state championship was very impressive.”

“The mental maturity of what he has had to go through … no one should have to go through at 18-years-old. And for him to still have the year he did as our leading goal scorer and leading assist guy; he was able to leave his legacy.”

Slyman also praised the defense, who only brought back one starter but continued to be one of the staples of the program.

“We had AJ Jergens back, who we moved around, and he has been so rock solid for us,” Slyman said. “If we had a comeback player of the year, it would be junior Caleb Logan. He didn’t play at all last year. He came back with a chip on his shoulder and earned all-district.”

“Another person who stepped up was Jack Peterson, who was solid in the back coming back from knee surgery. Also, a guy we leaned on was James Miller. He guarded the other teams’ best player and he owned that.”

Colin Turner was another player who raised his game to another level for the Red Devils according to Slyman.

“He is an offensive player and is also so good in the back, so when we played Indian Hill, he became a defender and shut his guy down.”

In the net, Jace Sawyer had 11 shutouts, which is remarkable for the Red Devils, especially after trying to fill the net upon the graduation of three-year starter Michael Jergens.

“We were playing some of the top teams in the state, and that helped him,” Slyman said, crediting goalie coach and 2019 state champion Adam Trimbach for the development of Sawyer. “Jace had some nerve-wracking moments at the beginning of the season, but he peaked at the end.”

In all, it was a great season for Tipp, and when things get started with offseason conditioning and skill work, their focus will be on another great season in 2025.