NOTE: This is a recurring column and will be updated as the season goes on.
Welcome back to Colin’s Columns. This column will be updated after each girls soccer game, and it’ll provide a recap, stats, a preview of the next game, and occasionally a quote from a player.
Stat Leaders:
Goals: Melea Miller: 18
Assists: Aviv Hagar and Nora Doyle: 8
Regional Preview
10/17/19
South Footy won its fifth sectional title in a row this past Saturday, beating Terre Haute North 4-2. They will face Center Grove in regionals, where they will look for some revenge after losing to them 2-1 earlier in the season.
On the other side of their regional, Floyd Central will play Castle. The teams did not play each other this season, but South beat Floyd Central 6-0, and they tied Castle 1-1.
The strike force of Kristen Ridner and Melea Miller has been outstanding this year, as they have a combined 35 goals and 14 assists. Although they got second in Conference Indiana, the winners, Columbus North, lost to Center Grove in sectionals 3-1. Center Grove is led by Jostin Reeves, who has a total of 20 goals this season. Reeves contributed an assist against South the first time they played.
“Last time we played Center Grove, we made some errors that cost us two goals, but were in the game the whole time, and almost came back. This time we are going to be better rested, and hopefully go out and get the win,” said senior defender/midfielder Maggie Doyle.
Castle and Floyd Central will play the first game of the day at 10 a.m. with Center Grove vs. South starting at noon. The winners of each game will play at 7 p.m. for the regional final, and all the games will be played at Bloomington South.
Panthers (14-2-1) vs. Hatchets (6-10)
10/1/19
In their final regular season game, South Footy played well to defeat the Washington Hatchets 3-0. Kira Kunzman scored off of a corner kick, with the other scores coming from Nora Doyle and an own goal to finish off the win. The girls will face Bloomington North in the first round of sectionals next Thursday, Oct. 10 at 6 p.m.
9/28/19
South Footy had a senior day to remember as they beat the No.19 ranked Floyd Central Highlanders 6-0. Emi McClaine scored the first goal, and after that it was the Melea Miller show, as she scored four out of the next five goals.Goalkeeper Kristen Morgan scored the sixth goal from the penalty spot to fulfil her career long dream of scoring a PK. The Panthers travel to Washington on Tuesday, Oct.1 for their season finale.
Panthers(12-2-1) vs. Cardinals (3-9)
9/27/19
The Panthers had a fun time Wednesday night as they beat Southport 7-0. Emi McClaine started off the rout, and five other players scored on the night. This was a big win for the girls after a tough loss to Jenna Lang and Columbus North. The girls play Floyd Central for senior day tomorrow, Saturday, Sept. 28, with the J.V. game starting around 1:30 p.m. with varsity to follow.
Panthers (11-2-1) vs. Bulldogs (12-1)
9/24/19
South footy suffered a hard loss last night at Columbus North. Columbus North’s sophomore sensation Jenna Lang scored a hattrick, while playing multiple different positions during the game and stopping all Panther attacks. The girls look to bounce back vs Southport on Wednesday, Sept. 25.
Panthers (10-1-1) vs. Cougars (5-4-4)
The Panthers won a physical game last night against their crosstown rivals, Bloomington North. Kristen Ridner and Melea Miller each scored a goal within a few minutes of each other in the first half, and Footy finished out the game comfortably. Mya Hall and Katie Majercak made sure the defense had an easy night by limiting North to three shots on target. The freshmen striker duo of Lydia Wiley and Nora Doyle played some good minutes too, but their shots failed to hit the back of the net. The Panthers take on Columbus North next Monday, Sept. 23, for another conference game.
Panthers (9-1-1) vs. Grizzlies (2-6)
9/12/19
The Panthers won ugly last night at Terre Haute North. Although they won 4-0, the game was rough, and they struggled to move the ball around. Melea Miller and Kristen Ridner continued their excellent seasons by scoring one and three goals, respectively, to bring their combined goal total to 18. Footy faces Franklin Community next Monday, Sept. 16.
9/5/19
Panthers (5-1-1) vs. Patriots (2-2)
South Footy won ugly last night, as they beat Terre Haute North 2-1. It was the Panthers’ first game in a week and the rust certainly showed. A first half goal by Melea Miller was the only action until the Patriots leveled the score in the second half. For South, a late goal by freshman striker Mallory Ballou secured the win. The girls have a busy weekend ahead, playing games against Richmond, Vincenes Rivet, and South Dearborn in the Hoosier Cup.
8/26/19
Panthers (4-1-1) at Olympians (1-1-1)
The Panthers traveled to Columbus on a rainy Monday to face a top 20 Olympian squad on their football field, and they did not disappoint. The game was tight until Emi McClaine scored a corner kick towards the end of the first half to give the Panthers the lead. Kristen Morgan made five saves to give the Panthers the shutout and the dub. The girls finally get a break after a packed week, and will travel to Terre Haute North next Wednesday, September 4th for a matchup with the Patriots.
8/24/19
Huskies (1-1) at Panthers (3-1-1) & Knights (2-0-1) at Panthers (3-1-1)
The Panthers opened up Saturday’s doubleheader with a dominant 5-1 win over the Evansville North Huskies. The Huskies scored first, but Nora Doyle quickly answered and sparked a Panther comeback. The game was a success, minus the brutal knee injury to Maggie Doyle. Kristen Ridner and Melea Miller both upped their goal total by scoring two and one goals, respectively.
The second game of the day versus the Castle Knights was a different story. Castle had a 1-0 lead for most of the game, but then Ridner scored her third goal of the game to get the tie.
The Panthers travel to Columbus East on Monday, August 26th, to face the No. 19 Columbus East Olympians.
Huskies (1-0) at Panthers (2-1) & Knights (0-0) at Panthers (2-1)
8/22/19
Panthers (2-0) at Trojans (1-0)
South traveled to Greenwood to face the No. 9 ranked Center Grove squad on Wednesday night, and although they played hard, they suffered a 2-1 defeat. The Trojans scored two first half goals, including a questionable penalty kick that almost buried the Panthers; however, senior striker Kristen Ridner answered with a crucial goal in the second half that put the team back into the game. Unfortunately, it ultimately was not enough and the Panthers came home empty-handed.
South Footy has a double header on Saturday, August 24th at home versus Evansville North and Castle.
8/21/19
Panthers (0-0) at Wildkats & Artesians (0-0) at Panthers (1-0)
The Panthers have had a busy past three days with a trip to Jasper on Saturday and their home opener on Monday night. Senior midfielder Katie Majercak, junior winger Aviv Hagar, and senior striker Kristen Ridner have been the main sources of offense for the Panthers, and their distribution has been very impressive. Ridner put up major stats that include four assists and two goals in the first two games. They beat a solid Jasper team 5-0 in just 42 minutes of play, and also hammered Martinsville 6-0 during a dangerously hot night.
Against Jasper, senior defender Kira Kunzman opened up the stat sheet with a right footed shot into the upper right hand corner of the goal. It was one of the fastest goals scored in South Footy history. Sophomore striker Melea Miller showed us that she is ready for a breakout season by scoring three goals in her first two games. The biggest surprises of the season have been freshmen strikers Lydia Wiley and Nora Doyle. Wiley and Doyle combined for three goals Monday night against Martinsville, which was half of the Panther goal total.
Up next, the Panthers travel to Greenwood on Wednesday to take on a Center Grove squad that they lost to last year during the regional finals. This should be a good test for the Panthers, and a potential preview for the 2019 regional final.
