Columbus North High School

October 8, 2023 - Tenth ranked Columbus North boys soccer defended their Sectional championship with a 4-2 victory over Roncalli at the BCSC Soccer Complex on Saturday afternoon. The Dogs will play host to third-ranked Center Grove on Wednesday in the Regional round of the IHSAA boys soccer championships. Roncalli got on the board first in the 18th minute, but the Dogs battled back to score twelve minutes later when Bryan Rodriguez’s free kick was headed in by teammate Aidan Whitley. Whitley then recorded an assist on a Nico Gotoh goal just two minutes later to take a 2-1 lead into halftime. In the 56th-minute, North goalkeeper Juan Jose Salcedo Calderon was issued a red card for a dangerous play in the box, forcing the Bull Dogs to play with just ten players the remainder of the match. The Royals converted the ensuing penalty kick against backup goalkeeper Noah Marsh to knot the match 2-2. The Bull Dogs (12-3-3) didn’t let being a man down deter them the rest of the way, however, as Gotoh scored his second goal of the match, again with an assist from Whitley in the 66th minute, followed by Whitley’s second goal just a minute later off of a pass from Leo Iorio. The 4-2 Bull Dog victory will set up a rematch of an August 29 match between Center Grove and Columbus North that ended in a 1-1 draw. Wednesday’s Regional match at the BCSC Soccer Complex is set to begin at 6:00 pm. Photo: Aidan Whitley, shown here in a match earlier this season, scored two goals and had a pair of assists as Columbus North beat Roncalli 4-2 for their second consecutive Sectional soccer title.