Top 5 Moments - Brad Hauter

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Brad Hauter

1. #5 - The Birth of Indy Eleven - I have known Peter Wilt since 1989 (there is an awesome story there for another time) and when he contacted me in 2013 and asked to meet for dinner in Greencastle I jumped on it. While meeting over wings and a beer, he asked if I thought pro soccer could make it in Indiana. As a long-time Hoosier, having spent my club, high school, and college playing days in Indiana, I did not hesitate in saying "Heck yes" (It may not have been that tame). Once I knew Peter was involved, I was thrilled as he has always delivered for pro soccer. Listening to his and Ersal's vision was an electric feeling I'll never forget.
   The reason this is one of my top 5 is that I grew up in Indiana wanting to play pro soccer and could not even imagine having a team to support, like Indy Eleven is now, that is so committed to growing soccer in Indiana. Every young player in the state NOW has a team and players to look up to and tangible goals to shoot for.
2. 
   #4 - Tying into the above... Pro soccer in the late 80's and early 90's was all over the place as far as professionalism. Some clubs were well run and some were not. In 1991, I remember being with the Illinois Thunder and heading to Milwaukee to play Peter Wilt's Milwaukee Wave. Most teams in the league drew 3,000-ish. The Wave averaged 15,000 that year. They were 7-0 and we went to Milwaukee and played in front of a sold out Bradley Center. We were up 1 with 10 seconds to go when Milwaukee came in on a 2 on 0 with me in goal. Goals in the league were 1, 2, or 3 points in value. The shot was taken and I didn't think I could get it, but I got a finger to the ball and pushed it wide. However, the 17,000 fans did not see the save and thought they won the game. The sound of 17,000 fans screaming because they thought they won the match in the final seconds to the immediate silence in the stadium as they saw the ball roll up the boards will be a memory I will never forget.
3. #3 - The Miracle at the Mike. Having to win and win by 3 goals is an unrealistic thing to believe in, but as announcers, Greg and I held out the belief that it could be done. The emotion we felt in the booth as the impossible unfolded before us was simply amazing.
4. #2 - In 2015, DePauw advanced to the Sweet 16 in Saint Louis by beating Washington University in Saint Louis in penalty kicks at Wash U. We won 8-7 in PK's with 5 of our 9 kids being from Indy... All 5 Indy kids scored BTW.
   Editor's Note: The Indy kids represented Zionsville HS, Center Grove HS, & Cathedral HS (X3). Additionally, former Indy Eleven player Adrian Ables was a senior on that 2015 DePauw squad.
5. 
   #1 - Advancing to the 2nd round in the NCAA tournament in 2016. The Monon Bell game is a historic and iconic football game between DePauw and Wabash each year; an old and epic rivalry. We were playing at home in the NCAA tournament as the football team was playing at Wabash in Crawfordsville. We were down 2-1 to Centre College late in the 2nd half and scored the equalizer with 20 minutes to go. A few minutes later, the football team returned to campus after winning the Monon Bell at Wabash. As their 3 buses pulled up behind the goal at the soccer field, we scored the go-ahead goal with minutes to go in the match. The football players were pounding on the bus windows so hard that the buses were rocking and I thought they might flip over. An absolutely incredible feeling.