Columbus East’s Jake Hofelich (2) and Cam Trueblood (5) leap the head the ball off a corner kick during a soccer against Jennings County at the BCSC Soccer Complex in Columbus, Ind., Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022.
Mike Wolanin | The Republic
Going into Thursday night’s Hoosier Hills Conference boys soccer matchup with Jennings County, Columbus East had scored only three goals in 10 games this season.
The Olympians broke out in a big way. They put up six goals in the first half and added two more in the second half to post an 8-0 victory on senior night.
“It felt pretty nice, especially since we’ve struggled scoring all season,” Trueblood said. “A game like this is what gets you up for the rest of the season, finally putting goals in the back of the net. If feels good. It’s something to build on.”
Trueblood, who has played a defensive midfield position most of his career, and fellow senior Ben Sylva, who has played mostly at center back, moved up top, and both responded with their first goals of the season.
“We decided to roll the dice and switch it up a little bit and change where our personnel was on the field to hopefully break through and have some positives on the field, and we were able to put the ball in the back of the net,” East coach Josh Gonsior said. “I think Cam up there in support did a lot to open up space, and him checking back to the ball and being able to hold onto it and playing that final ball made a big difference.”
The Olympians (2-5-4, 1-0-2) got on the board in the ninth minute when Boston Ely scored off an assist from Gui Silva Coelho. Those two reversed roles in the 15th minute, with Ely feeding Coelho.
Trueblood scored off a pass from Eduardo Aranda Michel in the 19th minute. One minute later, Ben Sylva headed in a corner kick from Henry Bush to make it 4-0.
“We played well,” Sylva said. “We needed to see some goals, no matter who we’re playing. We just needed some goals on the board. We moved the ball better than we have all year, and overall, it’s just a good team win.”
Huestin De Los Santos scored on a rebound after a Jake Hoeflich shot hit the left post in the 22nd minute. Hofelich scored in the 36th minute off an assist from Jonathan Sylva.
In the second half, Aarav Nihalani netted a goal off a pass from Jonathan Sylva in the 69th minute, and Albert Landero scored off an assist from Danny Coriden in the 74th minute.
“I think once we saw it in the net, it was a positive experience for us,” Gonsior said.
East outshot the Panthers (1-10, 0-4) 27-3, putting 14 shots on goal to three for Jennings. Pete Coriden posted three saves in the first 66 minutes for the Olympians, and August Comer did not face a shot over the final 14 minutes.
Deken Simpson recorded 11 saves for the Panthers, who kept East from scoring the first 28 minutes of the second half.
“It’s an improvement from the first half,” Jennings coach Andrew Titus said. “I don’t know if it’s halftime adjustments or what it is, but lately in the second half, we’ve seen improvements each game where we play harder the second half. So that’s something to look forward to, and this is a young team, so seeing these improvements is great.”
