Columbus North’s Nathan Imlay (in blue) takes a shot against Columbus East’s Pete Coriden (1) and Justin Sylva (7) Aug. 25, 2022, at BCSC Soccer Complex in Columbus.
The Republic file photo
Eighty minutes of soccer couldn’t produce a winner when the Columbus East and Columbus North boys soccer teams played early in the season, but those teams will have a chance to battle it out again Oct. 4 when they meet in the opening round of the Roncalli Sectional.
The Class 3A No. 6 Bull Dogs and Olympians played to a scoreless tie in their regular-season meeting. If tournament games are tied at the end of regulation, they play a 14-minute overtime period, then if still tied, go to a penalty kick shootout.
“This is the reason why we play big games and big moments,” East boys coach Josh Gonsior said. “Going into the tournament, we know we have to beat some quality teams if we want to advance in it, and drawing a quality team at the start can set the quality of play that we need to advance. Hopefully, we can show up and play a quality game and advance. I think we show at moments what we’re capable of, and if we do play like (the first game against North), we are much better than what our record shows, and hopefully, we do that as we go into the tournament season.”
The Bull Dogs (13-1-1) and Olympians (2-7-4) are slated to meet at around 7:30 p.m. Oct. 4 in the second first-round game that night. Host Roncalli and Greenwood meet in the 5:30 p.m. opener, and the winners of those games will face off in the second semifinal at around 7:30 p.m. Oct. 5.
Franklin Central and Franklin meet in the opener at 6 p.m. Oct. 3, and the winner will play Whiteland in the first semifinal at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 5. The sectional final will be at 7 p.m. Oct. 8.
The Olympians have won the sectional three consecutive years, but all three of those came in a sectional with teams from southern Indiana. IHSAA realignment moved the East and North boys into a sectional with teams from central Indiana this season.
“We are very much looking forward to playing the returning sectional champions, Columbus East, and we have nothing to lose,” North boys coach Andy Glover said. “I’m sure both teams would rather play in our beautiful new complex in Columbus, but we’ll both travel up to Roncalli and play on a neutral site. Regardless, it’s a great environment for both teams. Our approach is to take the postseason one game at a time and do our best to produce results and perform at our highest ability.”
Columbus North’s Maddi Rutan, left, and Columbus East’s Allison Craig battle for the ball Aug. 24, 2022, at BCSC Soccer Complex in Columbus.
The Republic file photo
Meanwhile, if the East and North girls meet again, it won’t be until the Franklin Central Sectional final. Those teams also tied 0-0 in their regular-season meeting.
The Olympians (6-4-4) will play Franklin in the opening round at 6 p.m. Oct. 5. Those two teams also are scheduled to meet tonight at Franklin in a varsity-only makeup game after being rained out earlier in the season.
“I think that’s very favorable,” East girls coach Ilya Schwartzman said. “I like that draw. (Today), we’ll find out exactly what we’ll be facing in the sectional. It should be a good matchup for us. Hopefully, we’ll take care of business and advance to the semifinal.”
The Bull Dogs (6-5-3) drew a first-round bye and will play in the semifinals at 6 p.m. Oct. 6 against the winner of the Oct. 4 game between Whiteland and Roncalli.
“We play Tuesday (at Batesville to close the regular season), and then we don’t play again until sectional, so my personal preference would be to play earlier in the sectional,” North girls coach David Young said. “But it’s nice only having to win two games for sure.”
The winner of the East-Franklin game will play in the second semifinal at around 8 p.m. Oct. 6 against Greenwood or Franklin Central. The sectional final is at 2 p.m. Oct. 8.
North and East both lost to Roncalli 1-0 this season. Host Franklin Central also figures to be among the teams contending for the sectional title.
“Theoretically, it’s Franklin Central, Roncalli, Columbus North and us,” Schwartzman said. “It’s pretty even in the matchups so far. It’s a pretty even sectional. I don’t know that there’s one heavy favorite. It’s going to be very exciting.”
“It think it’s pretty wide open,” Young added. “Right now, we’re starting to play well. We got a good result against a good Evansville North team (Saturday). The girls are feeling good, and we just have to keep putting in the work.”
Both the boys sectional at Roncalli and the girls sectional at Franklin Central will be played on those schools’ turf football fields.
Meanwhile, in Class A, the Hauser boys will play Irvington Prep Oct. 4 in the first round of the Southwestern (Shelby) Sectional. The winner will meet Central Christian or Indianapolis Lutheran in the semifinals on Oct. 6, and the sectional final will be at 7 p.m. Oct. 8.
The boys regional semifinals are Oct. 12, and the girls regional semifinals are Oct. 13. The winners of the Roncalli boys and Franklin Central girls sectionals will be on the road, likely at Bloomington South or Center Grove. The boys and girls regional finals are Oct. 15 at Bloomington South.
The semistate will be Oct. 22, likely at Seymour. The state finals are Oct. 28-29 at Michael Carroll Track & Soccer Stadium at IUPUI.
