For the Daily Journal
Center Grove’s Nick Shirer couldn’t ask for a better Senior Night.
Shirer scored two goals in the Class 3A No. 3 Trojans’ 4-1 boys soccer victory over Southport Thursday night at Center Grove Elementary School.
Shirer, one of five seniors who regularly starts, was one of 11 seniors to start on Thursday, but not in his normal spot.
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“I started in the center back and I usually play in the right wing,” Shirer said. “We had to communicate a lot and work harder than usual and figure it out on the fly.’
Trojans coach Jameson McLaughlin said his team handled the emotions of Senior Night well.
“The last two Senior Nights we’ve lost and we tied because high school kids like a routine and once you get out of that routine, it kind of causes a problem sometimes,” McLaughlin said. “This is a little different from teams I’ve had in the past; they can deal with adversity. They did a good job handling an adverse situation and playing through it.”
McLaughlin said the players did the little things to get the team back in the normal routine.
“Once we got in our normal routine, we got our normal result,” said McLaughlin, whose team is now off until sectional play begins Oct. 1. “I wish we would have finished the ball better and it wouldn’t have been so tight. But I like the way we’re playing right now.”
Center Grove handled he hot, humid night well, too.
“We played all 21 players almost equal minutes,” McLaughlin said.
The Trojans scored three goals in the first half. Senior Jacob Youngstafel scored to give the Trojans a 1-0 lead with 28:15 on the clock.
“Jake has been on a pretty good run in the last four or five games. I think he has seven or eight goals (in that stretch),” McLaughlin said.
Three minutes, later Shirer scored off a throw-in assist from senior Luke Boha. Junior Richard DeChant boosted the lead to 3-0 off an assist from junior Colin Parry with 7 1/2 minutes left in the half.
Shirer beat the goalie and punched a long Youngstafel pass into an open goal, making it 4-0 with 24 minutes left in the second half.
“That was Nick’s athletic ability. He’s probably one of the best athletes I’ve ever seen here just in pure speed and power,” McLaughlin said. “I wish I was blessed with something like that.”
Southport’s Run Ro Thang scored with 18-plus minutes left.
“I think we’re rolling through. I think we’re going to go through sectionals, regionals, semistate and go to state,” Shirer said.
