Clearer Path: North, East girls have easier road to sectional title

Columbus North’s Lauren Barker, left, collides with Columbus East’s Alexis Spurgeon Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021 at the BCSC Soccer Complex.

The Republic file photo

The Columbus North and Columbus East girls soccer teams caught a break this year when IHSAA realignment sent them to the Franklin Central Sectional.

No longer will the Bull Dogs and Olympians have to go through nemesis Center Grove in the sectional. North, however, did beat the Trojans on their way to winning sectional titles the past two years.

Here is a look at North and East, as well as other area girls soccer teams heading into the 2022 season:

Columbus North

The Bull Dogs lost 10 seniors from a team that went 15-2-2, including 4-0-1 in sharing the Conference Indiana title. But this won’t exactly be a rebuilding year.

“The offseason went well,” North coach David Young said. “We had really good numbers all summer. We averaged around 40, and whenever you graduate 10, that’s pretty good. This summer, we’ve played a decent range of teams and had some successes and failures. We had a couple preseason scrimmages, and those went well. It’s not where you start, it’s where you finish. We’re just changing out some parts a little and kind of revamping what we’ve done the last couple years.”

Five starters return including three four-year varsity players. Senior Lauren Barker, who netted 13 goals and five assists in earning All-District honors last season, moves to forward to the attacking center midfield previously manned by all-time leading scorer Jenna Lang, who now is at Michigan.

Senior Mallory Gilley, a third-team ISCA All-State selection, returns in goal. Senior Riley Schumm is back at center back.

Junior holding midfielder Anna Donica was a starter for part of last season. So was junior Charlotte Loheide, who moves from outside back to the midfield or forward.

Also vying for time at forward are senior Kara Kolhouse, junior Izzy Lynn and sophomore Page Mora, a transfer from Seymour, along with senior Maddi Rutan, a Division I softball commit who is playing high school soccer for the first time.

“I think she gives us minutes early on, and as she adjusts to the sport, I think she can help us a little bit,” Young said.

Sophomores Amelia Corney and Rachel Merritt will play in the midfield, and freshman Allison Kolhouse will join Schumm at center back. Freshman Gabby Spurgeon and sophomore Greta Schuetz have the inside track on the outside back spots, where sophomores Anna Halsted and Lily Priest also could see action there.

Senior Sarah Fulp was going to be a starter at outside back, but sustained a season-ending injury two weeks ago.

“It seems like three years ago all over again, starting nine freshmen and sophomores,” Young said. “I don’t think we’ll be that extreme, but we’ll be OK this year. Anytime you lose 10 seniors and arguably five college-level soccer players, there’s going to be an adjustment period. It’s kind of unknown with what we have this season,” Young said. “We have a lot of players that don’t have varsity experience, so they’ll have the opportunities to show what they have. Hopefully by midseason, we’re getting to a point where we’re playing 15 or 16 players. ”

Columbus East

The Olympians took North to the brink in last year’s sectional final before falling on penalty kicks. With eight starters back, East is hoping this could be its year.

“There’s a lot of high expectations for this group,” East coach Ilya Schwartzman said. “We expect to compete for the conference and sectional, and we expect to have a very good season.”

The Olympians went 11-6-1 last season, including 6-0 in winning the Hoosier Hills Conference title. Back to lead the team is senior outside midfielder Norah Dwenger, who led them with 14 goals and eight assists in earning was first-team ICGSA All-State and third-team ISCA All-State honors.

Senior Sydney Berkemeier (eight goals) and junior Nadia Harris (six goals, three assists), who was injured late last season, return at forward. Junior Ruth Federle (one goal, five assists) is back at center mid, and senior Maggie Mathews returns at outside mid.

Junior Kylie Hatcher is back as the defensive midfielder. Senior Alexis Spurgeon returns at center back, and senior Allison Craig could move from outside back to center back or outside midfield. Senior Anna Liimatta is back in goal, where she could split time with sophomore Kate Stiles.

Looking to fill the other spots are junior Taylor Scott at forward or midfield, senior Sophia Leach at center mid, seniors Cami Warren and Elisabeth Deckard at outside mid, senior Hallie Randle at center back, senior Heidi Murphy at outside back or midfield, senior Emma Patterson at outside back or center back and senior Isabella Saldivar at outside back.

“This is a very fast and physical team with a lot of soccer skill and knowledge,” Schwartzman said. “We’re capable of playing very beautiful soccer, but we can also play direct, as well.

“I’m very excited with what we’ve seen to this point,” he added. “The ladies have been working really hard. We had a really good summer. It’s a veteran team with a lot of juniors and seniors making up the core of the team this year.”

Jennings County

The Panthers return six starters from a team that went 6-9-2, including 1-4-1 in the HHC.

Senior Abby McDonald, who netted seven goals and three assists last season, could play forward or attacking mid. Sophomore Maddie McIntosh, who had five goals and three assists, is back at center mid.

Senior Macy Addis returns at forward, junior Lily Schildknecht is back at center back and senior Bree Galyen, moves from defense to midfield. Sophomore Audrie McClintock is back on defense after breaking her leg midway through last season.

Sophomore Alayna Phillips takes over in goal, and junior Cheyeanna Leslie, could play in goal or at forward. Freshmen Jillian Brauer and Ceirra Phillips could step in on defense.

Senior Lena Ritchie will be in the midfield, and sophomore Alexa Mollenhoff and junior Grace Shepherd are battling for the other midfield spot. Maria “Manto” Vadell Perello, an exchange student from Spain, also could see action.

“They’re looking pretty good,” Jennings coach Angie Keith said. “We’re a young team this year. We have a lot of freshmen and a lot of girls who have never played soccer before. But we had five scrimmages over the summer, and they’ve improved from the first scrimmage to today.”

Brown County

David Phelps, who coached the Eagles for seven years, returns to the sidelines after a three-year hiatus. He inherits a team that did not score a goal in going 0-11 last season.

Phelps will have 17 players after Brown County had just enough to field a team last year.

“It’s different,” Phelps said. “I haven’t had any of these players, so this is like starting new. We’re just getting started, trying to learn the basics, trying to feel each other out. We have some new players and some seniors that we’re trying to train up as leaders.”

Phelps is looking to seniors Xyleigh Thompson, Alli Majors, Tori Klaker, Jamie Bube and Sarah Callahan, who is coming back from an injury, to be those leaders. Two other senior basketball players are playing high school soccer for the first time in Katie Tipton and Savannah Oden.

For now, only one position is set, and that is junior Anna Tipton in goal.

“We’re going to do a lot of experimenting this year,” Phelps said. “All of our positions right now are pretty fluid because I haven’t seen them play together. This summer, it’s been seven of them at a time or something like that. It’s never been all 17 at once. So I’m looking to have my beat team on the field, and if it’s a position they’re not used to, then we’ll train them out for that.”

Trinity Lutheran

The Cougars will be a smaller team with only 13 girls to begin the season.

Senior Emma Myers, who netted 15 goals and team-high 10 assists, returns at center mid from a team that went 7-9. Senior Samantha Enzinger is back in goal.

Senior Kennedy Royalty and Kathryn Whitmore and junior Kaydence Miller return on defense. Sophomore Layla Jones moves from midfield and defense to forward.

Others returning include junior Paige Davidson and sophomore Emalee Goss in the midfield, junior Dianna Munoz and senior Siddha Hall in the midfield and defense and sophomore Delaney Williams at forward. Freshmen Bailey Reimer and Hannah Helt are new to soccer

“Numbers are a little slim,” Trinity coach Thom Hayes said. “We would have liked to have had a couple more. But we’re looking decent. We have a wide range of experience and skill level. We’re not going to win every game, but we’re going to try to win the ones that we should and be a competitor in every game, even if we play against a top school.”

The 2022 girls soccer schedules for Columbus East and Columbus North:

Columbus East

Wednesday;Bloomington North;7:15 p.m.

Aug. 20;Roncalli;4:30 p.m.

Aug. 22;at Bloomington South;7:15 p.m.

Aug. 24;at Columbus North;7:45 p.m.

Aug. 29;at Franklin;7:15 p.m.

Sept. 1;at Providence;7:15 p.m.

Sept. 6;Bedford North Lawrence;7:45 p.m.

Sept. 8;Batesville;7:15 p.m.

Sept. 10;Floyd Central;6:45 p.m.

Sept. 14;Jennings County;7:15 p.m.

Sept. 17;at New Albany;11 a.m.

Sept. 20;Jeffersonville;7:15 p.m.

Sept. 24;at Center Grove Tournament;10 a.m.

Sept. 29;at Seymour;7:15 p.m.

Columbus North

Saturday;at Terre Haute South;1:15 p.m.

Monday;at Center Grove;7:15 p.m.

Thursday;Seymour;6:45 p.m.

Aug. 22;Franklin;7:15 p.m.

Aug. 24;Columbus East;7:45 p.m.

Aug. 27;Floyd Central;12:45 p.m.

Aug. 29;Plainfield;7:45 p.m.

Sept. 3;at Castle;3 p.m.

Sept. 7;at Southport;7:15 p.m.

Sept. 8;at Roncalli;7:15 p.m.

Sept. 10;at Greenfield-Central;11:45 a.m.

Sept. 12;at Bloomington North;7:45 p.m.

Sept. 17;Terre Haute North;Noon

Sept. 19;at Bloomington South;7:45 p.m.

Sept. 24;at Evansville North;6:45 p.m.

Sept. 27;at Batesville;7:45 p.m.