Columbus North High School

October 12, 2023 - Tenth-ranked Columbus North boys soccer knocked off third-ranked Center Grove to advance to Saturday’s Regional finals against Floyd Central at Bloomington South High School. Columbus North scored first in the 23rd minute when Nico Gotoh knocked home a goal off of an Aidan Whitely assist. Just one minute later, the Bull Dogs were issued a red card, forcing them to play the final 55 minutes with only ten players. North was not deterred, however, and took a 2-0 lead with another Gotoh goal (Christian Cardoso assist) in the 27th minute. The goal was Gotoh’s eighth of the season. Just a minute later, Center Grove cut into the lead with a goal of their own. Whitley made the match 3-1 with a goal in the 61st minute (his eleventh of the season), coming off of a Sam Brown assist. The Trojans answered in the 77th minute, but the Bull Dogs were able to hold on for the final three minutes, giving them the 3-2 victory. Noah Marsh kept goal all 80 minutes for North and recorded three saves. The Trojans out-shot Columbus North 16-10, but the Dogs put more shots on goal with a 7-5 advantage. Columbus North (13-3-3) will face Floyd Central Saturday at 2:00 pm in the Regional Championships in a rematch of a September 21 match which ended in a 1-1 draw. Photo: Nico Gotoh, shown here in a match earlier this season, scored a pair of goals in a Columbus North 3-2 upset of third-ranked Center Grove in the Regional semifinals at the BCSC Soccer Complex on Wednesday, October 11.