PENDLETON — Pendleton Heights had to fight two foes in the boys soccer semifinals of the sectional at Noblesville Oct. 5.

Mother Nature claimed the night, and the Arabians lost to eventual sectional champion Noblesville 5-0 after coaches and officials determined the weather was too much of a factor to finish the match.

The match itself didn’t start until 9 p.m., after more than two hours waiting out lightening and storms. Once the game began, the Millers were up 5-0 at the half, when another lengthy delay intervened. With the anticipation of poor weather the following night (which did not materialize), the decision was made to call the game and name Noblesville the winner.

Coach Kyle Davy knew going into the game that it would be a challenge. The Millers are ranked as the No. 1 team in 3A.

“The end of our season was pretty rough with the high level competition,” Davy said. “A lot of our guys were worn down.”

Starters Ethan Duncan and Devan Swinford were unable to play because of injury and illness.

Davy said there were Arabians playing in positions they normally do not play. While Noblesville was senior and experience heavy, the Arabians have only two seniors but a multitude of youth for next season.

“We had three or four freshmen in our lineup. So, we’re a super young team,” Davy said.

Davy said while no one wants to lose, the experience of playing the best team in the state is valuable.

“That’s where we want to be. The guys on the bus were already talking about next season.”

The Arabians were 10-7 overall (5-2, Hoosier Heritage Conference, where they placed third in conference rankings).

Planning for next season will begin soon, and Davy is already looking forward to getting back on the field.

“We’ve got a good core group coming back. Hopefully this will give the guys some motivation for the off season,” Davy said.