One thing the Columbus North girls soccer team has been great at this season has been the ability to get off to a fast start, and Monday night against Franklin was no different.
It proved effective once again for the Class 3A No. 15 Bull Dogs. A goal in 41 seconds, coupled with Jenna Lang’s double hat trick in the first half, led the North to a 10-1 victory on senior night.
The Bull Dogs showed good patience in the offensive attack in the first half by timing the ball into the offensive end just right and outrunning the defenders to put the ball into the net.
“I think we all worked together really well,” said Lang, whose six goals tied a single-game school record. “I think that it was a great team win tonight, and I think that a lot of our players that normally didn’t play that started tonight, they really showed up, and we all had fun playing together. I think that team chemistry was there because we were having fun, and we were winning at the same time.”
After Helena Ho delivered the opening goal 41 seconds in for North (3-1), it became all Lang the rest of the game. Lang’s first goal came off a nice ball in from Lauryn Whitley with Lang taking the touch and finish to go ahead 2-0 in the 11th minute.
Lang’s second goal came when her shot was saved, but she got the finish off the rebound to make it 3-0 in the 16th minute. She finished a hat trick in the 21st minute to put the Bull Dogs ahead 4-0.
Lang scored the haul in the 25th minute when she made a turn past her defender and sent a laser shot into the back of the net. The glut goal came in the 31st minute when she had another breakaway, and her attempt found the net to give North a 6-0 lead.
The double hat trick for Lang came in the 38th minute, but Franklin avoided the shutout when Emma Williams found the net to make it 7-1 at halftime.
In the second half, Alexa McKinley scored two goals for the Bull Dogs in the 49th and 71st minutes, and Lauren Barker added a goal in the 56th minute.
Lauryn Whitley netted two assists, and Barker and Ho each had one for North, which outshot Franklin 29-3. Mallory Gilley recorded three saves.
North faces crosstown rival Columbus East on Wednesday night.
