Center backs often toil in anonymity on the soccer field, usually only attracting attention if they make a mistake that leads to a goal.
Strangely, Center Grove senior Katie Schier has been getting plenty of notice for how infrequently she and her teammates allow opponents to score.
“Whatever happened between last season, through club and into this one, it’s a whole different level of play,” Trojans coach Mike Bishop said of Schier. “All of the coaches are making comments like … ‘Where did she come from?’”
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]Click here to purchase photos from this gallery
Heading into the Class 3A Franklin Sectional, Schier and the Center Grove defense have yielded just 11 goals so far this season. The Trojans have posted 10 shutouts, including a stretch of six in a row that lasted nearly four weeks.
Schier has been the anchor of that defense. After seeing spot duty as a sophomore and starting as an outside defender last fall, she was moved into the center back slot this preseason — a move that Bishop clearly does not regret.
“Her decision-making, her patience on the ball is fantastic. She’s still fast with a solid leg, and she’s awesome in the locker room,” Bishop said. “She’s always been a solid player, but this year, there’s something about the way she goes about her business. It’s just at a next level.”
Schier attributes the success to the chemistry that she has with the other girls along the back line in front of goalkeeper Kelti Wise. The cohesiveness of the unit, she says, is a big reason why they’re so tough to crack.
“Over the summer, we played together a bunch,” Schier said. “Just making sure we’re talking and communicating well has really gotten us through the season so far.”
The pressure will be ratcheted up a notch or two this week, with every team facing a win-or-go-home situation. Schier believes that her team, tested by a tough schedule that included fellow sectional favorites Columbus East and Columbus North, tends to thrive in more competitive matchups that offer a defense little room for error.
“I think we do better if it’s a bigger game,” she said. “If we know they can’t score, they can’t get any shots, I feel like we do better, personally, in those types of games.”
Schier feels even more urgency knowing this is her final high school season. She and the other senior recall being part of a run to semistate as freshmen, and they’re hoping to replicate that success.
The first step for the Trojans is to reclaim the sectional crown after falling to Columbus North in a semifinal match last year.
“I think they do have a lot of unfinished business; I think that would be a good way to characterize that,” Bishop said. “I don’t know if it’s pressure, but definitely a bad taste.”
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”If you go” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
Class 3A Franklin Sectional
Today
Whiteland vs. Columbus East, 5 p.m.
Greenwood vs. Center Grove, 7 p.m.
Thursday
Today’s winners, 5 p.m.
Franklin vs. Columbus North, 7 p.m.
Saturday
Championship, 2 p.m.
Class A Cardinal Ritter Sectional
Today
International vs. Speedway, 5 p.m.
GCA vs. Indianapolis Washington, 7 p.m.
Thursday
Today’s winners, 5 p.m.
Covenant Christian vs. Cardinal Ritter, 7 p.m.
Saturday
Championship, 2 p.m.
[sc:pullout-text-end][sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”Scouting girls soccer sectionals” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
Class 3A Franklin Sectional
Players to watch: Center Grove — Piper Belden, Macy Detty, Megan Perry, Katie Schier; Columbus East — Alana Dwenger, Sarah Park, Lindsey Stoughton; Columbus North — Caroline Hollenkamp, Jenna Lang, Elise Whitley; Franklin — Maddie Alexander, Emilie Hill, Mollie Hill; Greenwood — Olivia Brawley, Veda Craig, Brooklyn Stubblefield; Whiteland — Stephanie Brady, Alaina LaPorte, Madisyn Proctor
Outlook: The Columbus schools moved into this sectional a year ago and took it over, shutting all of the local teams out of the title game. It will likely fall to Center Grove to prevent a repeat. The Trojans are the highest-ranked team in the field, but they’ve lost to both the Bull Dogs and Olympians in close matches this season. Can they avenge both on the way to reclaiming the sectional crown? Columbus North recently lost top scorer Tanner Johnson to a broken leg and has struggled since.
Class A Cardinal Ritter Sectional
Players to watch: Cardinal Ritter — Tia Brown, Grace Jaisle, Alexys Taylor; Covenant Christian — Alex David, Lizzy Midla, Aliah Minaya; Greenwood Christian — Cassie Bigelow, Ellie Bigelow, Cameron Northern; Speedway — Jordan Davis, Josie Frey
Outlook: GCA shouldn’t have much trouble in its opening-round game — the Cougars already have a 9-0 win over Washington this season, and a likely semifinal match with Speedway could be interesting; the two teams tied in late August. But with two ranked teams on the bottom of the bracket in Covenant Christian and the host Raiders, getting all the way out will be a tall order. Can the Cougars put themselves in a position to spring the upset?
[sc:pullout-text-end]
