It took nearly a year, but the Center Grove boys soccer team got some measure of payback Thursday night against Perry Meridian.
And while it wasn’t the state tournament, winning against their tormentors of nearly a year ago still felt good.
Unbeaten and 12th-ranked Center Grove scored three times in the first half and added three more goals in the second half to take any guess work out of it, for an astonishing 6-0 win over the visiting Falcons.
Senior Jack Neal lead the way with a hat trick and two assists for the Trojans.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]Click here to purchase photos from this gallery
Last year, Perry Meridian stunned the Trojans with a 2-1 win in the Class 3A sectional opener. In 2016, the Falcons eliminated the Trojans in a 2A regional final.
But while this game might have seemed like a grudge match for the Trojans, Center Grove coach Jameson McLaughlin insisted that wasn’t the case.
At least off the pitch.
“Geographically, they are a rival,” he said. “Grudge match or not, we want to win every game. Most important is all 19 kids gave an amazing effort, and that’s what I’m proud of.”
Center Grove proved early this was a game they wanted as Neal took a nice pass from sophomore Aaron McDaniel and put it past Perry Meridian goalie Luciano Salemi for a 1-0 lead.
Eleven minutes later, senior Luke Boha blasted one through for a 2-0 advantage.
The Falcons, who had some good ball movement at times couldn’t quite get their defense set, showed their frustration by committing a foul in the goal zone, resulting in a penalty kick, which McDaniel blasted through.
“In the first half, there was some defensive plays that we could have made a little better and there was some stuff in the offensive end we could have done, but overall I was very impressed,” McLaughlin said.
Center Grove added to the onslaught in the first minute of the second half as Neal tapped the ball in the net. McDaniel then scored his second on an assist from Cooper Livermoore, and Neal scored on a free kick for the final tally.
“This is the most exciting team I’ve had in a long time,” said McLaughlin. “They practice to win and be champions. I think there’s big things ahead for them.”
Center Grove (3-0) hopes to keep its perfect start alive on Saturday, when it hosts the annual Trojan Classic.
