JEFFERSONVILLE — Columbus North and Floyd Central were deadlocked throughout much of Wednesday’s Jeffersonville Sectional boys soccer match, and it seemed like extra time would have been needed.
However, in the 74th minute, the Highlanders got the break they needed.
Off a corner kick, Highlanders forward Connor Burke was able to head it in to break the scoreless tie. The Bull Dogs had a couple of attempts to equalize the game, but came up just short and fell 1-0.
“This is my family. These boys are my family, the staff is my family, the school and athletic department is my family,” North coach Tom Pollert said. “We’re all proud to be Bull Dogs, and we are a true band of brothers and this is a very good place to be and it is going to be missed not spending time with these guys.”
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The shots were mostly equal across the board. The Bull Dogs (7-11-1) took 11 shots, with eight of them on goal. Floyd Central had 13 shots with nine of them on goal.
North goalkeeper Noah Kestler recorded eight saves.
“Every time a new coach comes into the program, things get mixed up a little bit, and the boys accepted the change, accepted the challenge that was placed on them,” said Pollert, who was in his first season. “They really learned what it meant to be a part of the team and part of a family.”
Pollert is optimistic about the program going forward.
“We’ll still be a little young. We’ll have a lot juniors and sophomores on our roster going into next year,” Pollert said. “The future looks bright. Our JV team finished the season really well, and we had seven sophomores and three freshman that played on our varsity this year. In most cases, that is a JV team, so the future is bright. The club in Columbus is building some kids that are going to be coming through that are going to be pretty special, as well.”
