Taylor Scott
It was a frustrating first 64 minutes for Columbus East Saturday morning, but the Olympians were finally able to punch in a couple of goals when it came to crunch time.
The two goals in the final 16 minutes allowed East to rally for a 2-1 win against New Albany and remain alive in the race for the Hoosier Hills Conference title.
“We communicated more, and we connected more passes,” said senior Taylor Scott, who scored the Olympians’ first goal. “We knew we had to step up, and we wanted to win really badly.”
New Albany took a 1-0 lead on a penalty kick in the 14th minute. That was the Bulldogs’ only shot of the first half.
East (4-7-1, 3-1) had a few chances in both halves and came close to tying it in the 56th minute when Nadia Harris put one off the crossbar. The Olympians broke through in the 65th minute when Harris fed Scott for the tying goal.
“It was a boost,” Scott said. “It was like, ‘We’re in this now.’”
“I think it gave an extra charge to us,” senior Ruth Federle added.
Ruth Federle
Federle scored the winning goal in the 70th minute off an assist from Sophie Glick.
“We just overall worked to get better together as a team,” Federle said. “We saw the little passes and made them early.”
Federle came on in the second half after sitting out the first 40 minutes for forgetting her jersey.
“I’m so relieved,” Federle said. “We needed this, and it’s a good feeling for me because I didn’t get get to play in the first half, so coming back in the second half was really exciting.”
The Olympians outshot New Albany 13-6, putting nine shots on goal to four for the Bulldogs. Kate Stiles played the first half in goal, and Emma Christie played the second half and recorded three saves.
“We were getting opportunities, and that was exciting to see,” East coach Ilya Schwartzman said. “I thought we had a lot of good buildups that led to those opportunities, and unfortunately, we couldn’t put away. It was frustrating when we were not putting the goals away, but what I’m proud of, the girls kept fighting.
“They kept persevering and were determined to get this game and had a couple of beautiful opportunities in the last 15 and finished them off, so that was good to see,” he added. “It shows that these kids have a lot of determination and perseverance. I’m real proud of the group and the effort they put out.”
