Through the first three matches this season, the Columbus North girls soccer team has used defense as its mantra.
The Bull Dogs shut out their third straight opponent on Saturday when they downed Lawrenceburg 3-0 at Richard Wigh Soccer Complex.
“Our back line is playing pretty solid,” North coach Derek Stewart said. “Right now, they are working hard and playing together. I am just real excited about the back line.”
The Bull Dogs (3-0) set their defensive mindset early in the match and followed that throughout the contest. The Tigers had a couple of scoring chances in the first half, but North goalkeeper Kaylyn Bates had some saves.
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In the 30th minute, Bull Dog Tanner Johnson found the net without an assist to give her team a 1-0 lead, which would be the score at intermission.
Lauryn Whitley had a scoring chance in the 32nd minute but the Lawrenceburg keeper made a nice save. Jenna Lang’s shot bounced off of a defender’s leg, and KJ Ely’s shot went over the net.
The Tigers had a scoring chance in the 44th minute, but a shot went over the goal. Then in the 45th minute, Whitley received the pass from Lang and scored to make it 2-0 North.
Both teams picked up the intensity on defense until Lang added a goal in the 12th minute off a pass from Johnson to make it 3-0.
The Bull Dogs finished with seven shots on goal, while the Tigers had six. Bates posted three saves in each half to finish with six.
“Our goalie is playing fantastic,” Stewart said. “She is keeping us in the game and coming up and taking up the space. She is playing phenomenal.”
Stewart is happy with the way his seniors are leading the charge on the field.
“Seniors are doing extremely well,” Stewart said. “It’s a team effort. We have a mix of each grade, and they are all contributing and we are proud of them.”
With Saturday’s game behind them, Stewart and the North team can turn their focus to Columbus East. The teams will resume their rivalry on Wednesday.
“I expect a tough game from East, and they are always a hard team to play, but we are looking forward to it,” Stewart said.
