It had been 312 days since that game.
Three hundred and twelve days since Columbus North defeated Center Grove in last season’s Class 3A sectional semifinal clash. Nearly a year since the Trojans’ heartbreaking penalty-kick shootout loss.
It has been even longer since the Trojans took home a victory over the Bull Dogs — 1,040 days, to be exact. Monday night’s 4-1 victory ended that drought.
The Trojans were able to put the pressure on the Bull Dogs early, keeping the ball in North’s lower third for the majority of the first seven minutes. Sophomore Brooklyn Brown capatlized on that pressure, finding the back of the net off an Ella DeWitt assist.
Center Grove had another chance when Taylor Wert was fouled just outside of the penalty box, putting the ball at Molly Tapak’s feet for a free kick. Tapak’s shot hit the crossbar, however.
Wert then found Madi Kramer open in the box for an easy goal that found the center of the net, pushing the Trojans to a 2-0 lead with 17 minutes and change left in the first half.
The Bull Dogs were able to rebound two minutes later when Lauren Barker broke past the Trojans’ back line, arcing her shot just out of reach of Center Grove goalie Sophia Gorall.
North’s momentum was halted, though, with an Emily Karr cross to DeWitt, who put the ball just past Mallory Gilley to help the Trojans regain their two-goal lead.
Gilley didn’t seem phased by the three goals allowed in the first half of play, stopping two great balls in the early part of the second half. But after those great saves, Wert came back and found the far left corner for the final goal of the game.
Columbus North coach David Young compares this team to the team that lost 4-1 to the Trojans three years ago.
“It’s much like three years ago,” Young said. “It’s a young group, so we have to take it day by day, practice by practice, and evaluate what we’ve done right and what we’ve done wrong. At the end of the day, get better every game.”
Collecting his second win with the Trojans, first-year coach Myron Vaughn is not being overly sentimental about the win even if it is the first victory against the Bull Dogs in nearly 3 years.
“Right now, it means that we’re 2-0,” Vaughn said. “Right now it means we’ve got two results in hand and two good performances. That’s about all it really means. … We take every game and every performance for what it is. And right now we’re playing well. But ultimately, our ultimate goal is a long way away. And these are all steps and building blocks toward what we want.”
