Centre and North Central got off to a roaring start with goals inside 3 minutes on Friday night. The action continued throughout the 90 minutes at Amend Field, but two goals from
Riley Givens were enough to give Centre a 3-2 win to extend the Colonels' unbeaten start to eight straight.
Centre needed just 83 seconds to breakthrough as a cross in the box found its way to
Claire Mullen, who sent the ball to the back of the net for the quick lead. North Central showed they could play the quick game as well as the Cardinals countered just 43 seconds later with a goal of their own to bring the match right back to level.
Claire Cavacini had a go at goal just 32 seconds after the North Central score, but the shot went just wide. North Central began a strong run of technical ability and controlled the ball and field position through the opening 15 minutes. The Colonels slowly rounded into form and started another charge on the Cardinal goal.
Claire Mullen had a go in the 17th minute that drifted just high and wide. In the 20th minute, Centre sent a gaggle of Colonels into the box. Mullen had a low shot that was saved, but the rebound went right to
Riley Givens for a tap-in goal to put Centre back up 2-1. The quick pace continued back-and-forth with Centre keeper,
Madeline Redmon, making 2 late stops in the half to preserve the lead going to the 2nd half.
North Central came out quick again to start the 2nd half and capitalized less than 90 seconds into the half. A corner kick was perfectly placed into the box for a streaking header that Redmon had no chance of reaching, thus tying the match at 2-all. The Cardinals nearly had the lead in the 53rd minute as Redmon knocked a shot away, but the ball stayed in the box. North Central gathered the rebound and fired on goal, but the Centre back line came to Redmon's rescue to clear the ball off the goal line and keep the game level. Redmon made another critical save in the 57th minute. Her efforts were rewarded on the other end as
Riley Givens again found a free ball in the North Central box and was able to send it home to put Centre back on top, 3-2. North Central kept the pressure on but could not develop a quality attempt on the Centre goal the rest of the way as the Colonels held on for the win.
The two goals from
Riley Givens now give her a team-high 6 on the year and now 13 points.
Madeline Redmon finished the night with 5 saves to earn her 7th win.
Centre will hit the road on Sunday, traveling to take on the Maroons of Roanoke. The opening kick is set for 1:00pm.
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