Contributing Writer
CARMEL â??? Carmel girls soccer coach Frank Dixon was
just happy to get on the field.
After an
11-day layoff, his top-ranked Greyhounds were able to squeak out a 1-0 victory Sept.
12 over visiting No. 17 North Central (Indianapolis).
â??I was a
little nervous going into the game since we hadnâ??t played in so long,â? Dixon said. â??North
Central is a physical, scrappy team, and we knew we would be tested.â?
Physical
play was shown from the onset of the match. All told, 19 total fouls were
called, including two yellow cards in the second half on North Central.
After
numerous scoring chances on both sides yielded nothing, North Central had the
best chance of the first half when Jasmine Moses ripped a shot from the
top-right corner of the box that hit the crossbar with just over five minutes
to go.
The game was
still scoreless with only 3:58 to go in regulation when Sarah Turner slotted a
pass to Taylor Cornwall. The junior forward took on two North Central defenders
in the left corner, then cut it back to the middle of the penalty box.
Cornwall then rifled a shot right past a
diving Caitlin Gaughan to put the Greyhounds in front.
â??Just a
great individual effort,â? Dixon
said. â??She (Cornwall)
took it upon herself to win us this game. She took her time and put a nice shot
on goal.â?
Carmel (5-1-2) nearly scored another one
a minute later, but a dangerous cross was punched away by Gaughan.
Despite
the close score, the Greyhounds dominated the game by outshooting the 4-6
Panthers 22-9. Carmel
goalkeeper Emma Gormley had three saves to lead a stellar defensive effort.
It was a
nice little bit of revenge for Carmel,
which blew a late two-goal lead to tie the contest last year.
â??I tell
you what â??? it feels a lot better to win this
tough game than tie it,â? said Dixon,
who was clearly pleased with the important victory in the tough Metropolitan
Interscholastic Conference.
â??Every
year it seems like it is us against North Central for the conference title,â? Dixon said. â??So it is a
nice win to help us reach our goals as a team.â?
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