This has been a good start, with good signs for the future. Cathedral High School girls soccer is a veteran team in 2026, and it’s a strong team – but what longtime coach Marc Behringer said he likes most, and what gives him a good feeling moving forward, is it’s a team that doesn’t quit. This a tough team, and that matters. “The team this year is one that has shown a real strong mentality,” Behringer said. The Irish in Behringer’s 31st season as coach started 5-1-2, a start that included a 0-0 tie against perennial power and rival Carmel. They also score the winning goal in the final 30 seconds of two matches, including a 4-3 victory over Avon in which the Irish took leads of 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2 before winning the match with :12 remaining. They also rallied from a 2-1 deficit in a 3-2 victory over Sacred Heart at the Carmel Invitational. “They just continue to fight,” Behringer said. The Irish, who lost in the sectional semifinal in 2025, were No. 6 in the 2026 Class 3A Indiana Soccer Coaches Association rankings in early September and are led in ’26 by a strong senior class that includes: *Quinn Usher (three goals, four assists through six games), a team captain who will play collegiately at Akron – and who Behringer said has been a “centerpiece of our defense the past three years.” Added Behringer, “She does have the ability to affect the match. She's really expanded her role and we’re using her to be a creator in our attack.” *Eliza Coe, a team captain. *Grace Drewry (one assist), a team captain. *Maryn O’Brien. *Georgia Jenkins. *Sophia Graziano. *Nina Weisiger. “We've got a senior group that is pretty tough-minded,” Behringer said. “As always, the team goes as the seniors go. We have a lot of experience returning in our starting group. Now, we're trying to get our reserves experience and work them in at this level. “We've got a number of players that are new to the varsity level that we want to get experience at the same time, make sure that they keep their confidence up. That's going well also. That's just a process and it just takes time.” The Irish as is annually the case for a perennially-strong program will play one of the state’s toughest schedules to prepare for the postseason. They have registered ties against perennial powers Carmel (No. 3 in Class 3A) and Noblesville (No. 7 Class 3A), with a victory over Avon (No. 20, Class 3A) and a loss to Zionsville (No. 8 Class 3A). They also will play Brebeuf Jesuit (No. 4 Class 2A), Westfield (No. 5 Class 3A) and Guerin Catholic (No. 6 Class 2A). “This group has shown some real fight, which bodes well,” Behringer said. “Now, I wish we would do the work a little earlier in the game so we didn't have to rely on that. On the other hand, it's really nice to know that you've got a group that's going to fight to the end.” Added Behringer, “We’re fairly flexible in how we play with regards to players positionally. We have a a few players we can move around. This first part of the season, a lot of it has been trying to figure out the right spots and the right combinations of players to play together on the field. “The pieces of the puzzle that we have fit together really nicely.” The Irish are perennially a strong defensive team, with Behringer saying a key in ’26 will be continuing in that direction. “We're trying to build it, as always, on a defensive basis,” he said. “We’re trying to get to the point where we are a very difficult team to score against, just because that extends your chances to win. It's either really work to be stingy defensively or simply try to outscore other teams; “My coaching philosophy works in the direction of, ‘Hey, let's figure out how to defend first. Let's be really difficult to break down,’ and although we have given up goals this season a couple of times, we're working well towards being that team that people say, well, ‘Boy, Cathedral's really difficult to attack.’’’ And as the midseason approaches with an eye on the postseason, Behringer said there’s a lot to like about a 2026 Irish team that has “a ton of personality.” “Their desire is top-notch,” he said. “From the seniors down to a freshman that we have on the roster, they’re working at trying to figure out how we're going to play best at the end of the season. If we can really focus our energies in training to maximize what we can do on the field, it'll be really interesting to see just how far this team can go. “The girls understand that we have an opportunity in front of us. You never know how things end up shaking out, but this is certainly a team that is going to be a lot of fun to watch and see just how far they can go.”