Piper Belden had the option to play either soccer or softball at the collegiate level — but she knew she wasn’t going to be able to do both.
The decision was a difficult one, but the Center Grove senior opted for the diamond, committing to play softball at the University of Indianapolis.
As a result, Belden knows her soccer-playing days are nearing their end, and she’s trying to make the most of the remaining time.
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“Potentially two more games left ever playing soccer again, it’s really, really crazy to think about,” she said. “Being a senior this year gives you a whole different perspective. You walk on the field and you’re like, ‘This is my last this‘ … It’s really crazy.”
Belden and her classmates have done all they can so far to maximize the time they have left together, rolling through the Franklin Sectional and punctuating their two-game regional run with a 7-0 rout of Floyd Central last weekend. Next up is a semistate clash with MIC rival Carmel in Seymour on Saturday afternoon.
Belden is the second-leading scorer remaining in the Class 3A tournament with 23 goals this season. She’s tallied one in each of Center Grove’s five postseason matches, including the leadoff goal in a regional semifinal penalty-kick shootout against Bloomington South.
Coach Mike Bishop points to Belden’s drive as the trait that has allowed her to excel in two sports for so long.
“She’s just tenacious, a tough-minded kid,” Bishop said. “She’s always been small, short, and she always gets knocked about, but it catches kids off guard when they play her, because she doesn’t stop or slow down.”
Belden has played at least two sports since age 5, and this past summer was the first time she didn’t play travel soccer, choosing to focus primarily on softball. Balancing the two had kept her on the move — Belden says that two summers ago, she only spent about 12 days at home.
That time investment has paid off, though. Belden was a second team All-State selection in both soccer and softball as a junior; she’s hoping to make first team this year, and with her offensive production she’s making a pretty strong case.
“As a defender, you think, ‘Oh, she’s just fast,’” Bishop said. “But no, you put the tenacity and some foot skill with it, and it’s tough to defend. It really is.”
Those skills will be tested against a Carmel team that has allowed just four goals all season. The Greyhounds, ranked fourth nationally by MaxPreps, defeated Center Grove 1-0 on Sept. 26 and have won the last six meetings between the two rivals.
For the Trojan seniors, a win against Carmel would mean not only making it to the state title match, but also that they would have avenged all three regular-season defeats during this tourney run.
A loss will end their high school careers, so Belden plans on doing everything she can do to stretch hers out for one more week.
Going all out is the only way she knows.
“I definitely use the same mentality in both sports,” Belden said. “Go as hard as I can all the time, give everything I have. I just play my heart out.”
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Class 3A Seymour Semistate
Carmel (18-1-2) vs. Center Grove (19-3), 3 p.m.
Admission: $10
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