Columbus North scores twice early, holds off Center Grove

COLUMBUS

Center Grove’s girls soccer team could not complete a second-half comeback at Columbus North after starting the match trailing by two goals.

North senior twins Corrine and Kristen Orben scored goals for the Bull Dogs as the Trojans fell 2-1 on Monday.

Kristen Orben put North on the board in the ninth minute with a goal off an assist from Elise Whitley. Corrine Orben followed with a goal in the 31st minute on a Tanner Johnson assist.

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Center Grove coach Mike Bishop said his team didn’t start well and fought back in the second half.

“We started well and ran the run of play for a while,” Bishop said. “We just got caught out twice, and they capitalized twice and put us in a hole on some pretty good play by their front runners. From there, we battled and got continuity going.

“It takes a little bit of time, but we got it back going in the second half on really good play. We got an opportunity; we just couldn’t close the deal.”

Piper Belden got the Trojans back on the right foot, starting the second half with a 44th-minute goal on an assist from Paige Waskom to cut the deficit in half.

Center Grove, which kept the pressure on North with 13 total shot attempts and six on goal, had a chance late in the game, but a potential tying shot bounced off the crossbar, and the Bull Dogs managed to hold the Trojans off over the final three minutes.

“You can’t take anything away,” Bishop said. “We played a good team, and they just got us today. You’re taking shots, and nothing is falling.”

Bull Dogs goalkeeper Liz Tynan finished with five saves. Ella Thompson of Center Grove had three saves on North’s five shots on goal.

Bishop said it was good to get a chance to compete against North knowing they will be in the same sectional this year.

“It’s always important to see what they have,” Bishop said. “We can match film and to see what we have; they can watch film. We’ll have a couple of months to improve before we see each other again. Hopefully we will and the outcome will be a little different.”