Flynn Keele
The Columbus North boys soccer team has been hit hard by injuries all season, so one night without its head coach wasn’t about to faze them.
With head coach Andy Glover and varsity assistant Chris Morlock ill, Brayton Thornburg stepped up and guided the Class 3A No. 7 Bull Dogs to a 2-1 win against East Central.
“All year, we’ve dealt with a lot of adversity with injuries and different things, so another evening without a coach and more adversity, we still pulled through,” Thornburg said. “They were ready to go. It was a mature performance from them tonight.”
North (9-1-1) scored the game winner in the 77th minute. The Trojans goalkeeper was called for a foul in the box and a yellow card, and Flynn Keele converted the penalty kick.
“I just knew I had to take on responsibility,” Keele said. “That’s what the team needed at the time — for me to score that kick — so I had to step up with confidence.
Tied 0-0 at halftime, the Bull Dogs got on the board in the 41st minute when Nico Gotoh scored off an assist from Trent Liggett. East Central tied it in the 48th minute with a goal off a corner kick.
North finished with a 12-9 shot advantage, putting seven shots on goal to four for the Trojans. Max Grewe and Oscar Ballinas combined to post three saves.
“It was a great team win,” Thornburg said. “They pulled together really well in the second half. The first half we came out with not quite the pressure we wanted on defense. We reorganized a little bit and just stayed to our defensive principles, and that really pulled us through. We did a great job getting balls in from the outside, and the team just came together.”
