Columbus North’s Sam Brown heads the ball during a regional semifinal soccer match against Center Grove at the BCSC Soccer Complex in Columbus, Ind., Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023.
Mike Wolanin | The Republic
When Columbus North tied Floyd Central 1-1 back on Sept. 21, it was a game the Bull Dogs felt like they should have won.
This afternoon, Class 3A No. 10 North will get another shot at the Highlanders when the teams meet in the Bloomington South Regional final.
“I think it’s awesome that we’re playing them again,” North senior forward Nico Gotoh said. “It’s always great to get a second chance at them. This time, the emphasis needs to be on just putting our (scoring) chances away because at the end of the day, goals are what when you games.”
The Bull Dogs (13-3-3) put a couple of shots off the post and crossbar in that regular-season meeting, which they controlled for the most part.
“It’s always good to play a team again in a season,” senior midfielder Aidan Whitley said. “We had a result that we didn’t want, that we didn’t like, but they’re in the regional final for a reason. It’s not just a game where we can be like, ‘Oh, it’s an easy win.’ Anything can happen.”
Columbus North’s Aidan Whitley, right, and Center Grove’s Matheus Gubert go up for a header during a regional semifinal soccer match at the BCSC Soccer Complex in Columbus, Ind., Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023.
Mike Wolanin | The Republic
Gotoh and Whitley each scored two goals in last week’s 4-2 sectional final win against Roncalli. On Wednesday, Gotoh scored twice, and Whitley had one goal in a 3-2 upset of 3A No. 3 Center Grove in the regional semifinals.
While Center Grove featured a high-scoring forward in Ely Detty, Floyd Central (12-2-6) has a number of players who can put the ball in the net.
“I think they’re a little bit more balanced,” North coach Andy Glover said. “I like their approach to soccer. It’s pretty holistic, similar to ours. So it should be a good competition.”
Today’s 2 p.m. contest also will be a rematch of last year’s regional final, which the Bull Dogs won 5-0 on their way to making the state finals. A win would put North back in the semistate, likely at its home BCSC Soccer Complex.
“I know the team is looking forward to it, and I also know they’re smart enough to take it one game at a time,” Glover said. “We try to prepare for each opponent equally, and while I felt good about the last competition, that was then and this is now. They’ll have done nothing but get better, and I’m just looking for a good competition. If the team performs in the 95th percentile of their abilities like we try to do each day, we’ll see where the outcome goes.”
