Center Grove’s girls soccer team knew that winning a sectional title this season was likely going to require avenging two of its three regular-season losses.
The Trojans took care of the first one on Thursday.
First-half goals by Piper Belden and Jostin Reeves held up as Class 3A No. 8 Center Grove earned a 2-0 victory over 10th-ranked Columbus East in Franklin Sectional semifinal play.
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The Trojans (16-3) will face Columbus North, a 5-1 semifinal winner over Franklin, in Saturday afternoon’s championship match.
“The first game against (Columbus East), we didn’t come out super tough,” Belden said. “We knew we had to get our mindsets right and our touches right, especially coming from turf to grass.”
After putting three shots on goal in the first 10 minutes, Center Grove got on the scoreboard with 27:12 left in the opening half when Kailee Joseph’s cross skipped past Columbus East goalkeeper Karisma Parker and found the waiting foot of Piper Belden, who tapped it into an open net.
“I think we caught them off a little bit,” Center Grove coach Mike Bishop said of his team’s strong start. “We were able to get to the wings and kind of spread them out in the back a little bit and open up some holes to shoot into.”
The Olympians had a good opportunity to tie midway through the first half, but Trojan netminder Kelti Wise made a diving stop on an Alana Dwenger shot from close range.
Center Grove’s back line repelled another Columbus East charge with about three minutes to go in the half, and Jostin Reeves gave the Trojans a two-goal advantage with 2:10 on the clock when she took a drop pass from Belden and rocketed it in from about 30 yards out.
“I saw her running in and there was no one in front of her,” Belden said, “so I knew that was going to be the best option.”
Neither team was able to find the net after the intermission. Center Grove’s Macy Detty appeared to add a rebound with 24:26 left in the match, but it was waved off when a hand ball was called shortly after the initial shot.
The nightcap got away from the Grizzly Cubs quickly. Columbus North’s Jenna Lang opened the scoring just over five minutes in with the first of her three goals, and the Bull Dogs had stretched their lead to 3-0 before the match was 14 minutes old.
Franklin (7-9-1) avoided the shutout when Shelby Featherston knocked in a loose ball with 15:01 to go in the match. Coach Mari Weidman was pleased with the tenacity she saw from her young team after they fell behind early.
“The first half, we just had a few get through us,” Weidman said. “The second half, we didn’t like how that felt, so we came out and played our positions, and we played more confident and with more trust in our teammates.”
“We just fought to the end, and I couldn’t be more proud of them for this whole season,” agreed Emilie Hill, one of just three Franklin seniors.
For Center Grove, Saturday offers yet another chance at redemption. The Trojans lost their season opener to the Bull Dogs, 1-0, and they’re hoping to respond in kind here at season’s end.
“We want revenge, and we want a sectional championship,” Belden said.
