Danika Hoehn
Columbus North proved Wednesday night it can compete with the top girls soccer teams in the state.
The Class 3A No. 20 Bull Dogs had plenty of opportunities to put a ball in the net, but it didn’t happen, and they settled for a 0-0 draw against 3A No. 8 Bloomington South in a battle of Conference Indiana unbeatens.
With the result, the Panthers (9-2-2, 4-0-1) earned at least a share of the conference title. North (10-2-2, 3-0-1) can join them for the share with a win Saturday against Terre Haute South.
The Bull Dogs had their recent struggles against the top teams in the state dating back to last season. This year, they fell to 3A No. 9 Center Grove 4-0 in the season opener and 3A No. 16 Lawrence North 7-1 last week. Wednesday proved that North can go head-to-head with the top teams in the state.
“The takeaway from me is, the girls can focus in whenever they need to and play with top 10 teams in the state. B-South is one of the better teams,” North coach David Young said. “Tonight, we met their intensity, especially in the second half, exceeded that intensity. We had quality opportunities, both teams had quality opportunities, and neither one could finish. Honestly, the game could have went either way.”
North had chances to get on the scoreboard in the second half. Lily Ryan had an opportunity in the 68th minute when her shot went just wide of the near post. The clock stopped with seven seconds left when Avery Baker was fouled just outside of the goal box. Baker took the free kick, but her shot was saved by Bloomington South goalkeeper Paloma Martinez.
The Panthers put eight shots on goal to six for the Bull Dogs. Danika Hoehn recorded eight saves for North.
The Bull Dogs can claim a share of the conference Saturday. They will host Class 2A No. 15 Batesville Oct. 1 to wrap up the regular season.
“Terre Haute South is a good team. They only have three losses on the year,” Young said. “At this time last year, we were playing for second. This time, we step onto the field Saturday, and if we win, we get a share of the conference title.”
