CARMEL
The fatigued legs that come with playing a third quality opponent in five days aren’t the preferred recipe for upsetting the state’s second-ranked girls soccer team.
Center Grove’s all-out effort was on display for 90 minutes Wednesday night, but it wasn’t enough in a 3-0 loss to Carmel in a match that once again decided the Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference champion.
The Greyhounds finished 7-0 in league play and are 13-1 overall. Carmel won its first 12 matches of the season without allowing a single goal before dropping a 2-0 decision at No. 1 Noblesville on Monday.
“They were moving the ball quicker than we were defending,” Center Grove coach Mike Bishop said. “It’s just frustrating we ended up on the short end of it. We had a good game plan coming in … (but) we had tired legs coming in.
“It’s our third game of the week against the third team in a row that’s very physical.”
The Greyhounds tallied two goals in the span of a little over four minutes in the opening half to build a 2-0 lead.
Midfielder Susie Soderstrom got things started with her team-leading ninth goal of the season with 16:57 remaining before halftime. The senior struck again at 12:44 off an assist from classmate Emma Domke, putting the Trojans in a difficult situation entering break.
Twelve minutes into the second half, Center Grove had no less than two good looks off a corner kick from senior Makensie Kramer. The Trojans couldn’t capitalize then, or when senior Paige Waskom’s straightaway attempt went just left of the goal with 25:35 remaining.
The Greyhounds added a final goal with 4:56 left in the second half courtesy of junior midfielder Saliyah Brady.
Center Grove entered the match featuring outstanding offensive balance, with six players having scored between five and eight goals this season. Avoiding a shutout at Carmel, which outscored its foes by a combined 45-0 prior to the loss at Noblesville, served as the ultimate challenge.
“We had looks, we just didn’t finish. It just wasn’t a good night for us,” Bishop said. “Offensively. Defensively. We held as long as we could, and we started losing the midfield the last 10 or 15 minutes, which I was worried about because Carmel moves the ball pretty well.
“You can’t fault the girls. You look at them walking off the field. They gave it everything they had.”
The Trojans (8-4, 6-1) next host their own invitational on Saturday, where they’ll face Roncalli at 10 a.m. and Columbus East at 1:30 p.m.
