FLOYDS KNOBS — The significance of the Floyd Central-Providence girls’ soccer regular-season contest has been heightened by soccer going to a class system.

With the teams no longer facing each other in the postseason, a win on Tuesday would have been even more significant for either team.

That’s why the 0-0 tie was met with derision.

“It sucks,” Floyd Central junior Lauren Wyatt said.

“Horrible,” her coach, Lewie Stevens, described the deadlock.

“You never want to tie. It’s the same as a loss,” Providence senior Leah Mattingly said.

The best thing anyone had to say about it was Providence coach Dave Smith’s comment, “It’s better than a loss.”

No, there weren’t a lot of happy soccer players and coaches leaving the field at Floyd Central on Friday night.

“It feels like crap,” Wyatt explained. “We wanted to beat them so bad and we didn’t play very well. It was the last time our seniors will get to play them and they wanted to go out with a win.”

Wyatt had several chances to give the Highlanders the go-ahead and eventual winning goal. But she was stymied by the Providence defense throughout the night.

With just under five minutes to play, she had a clean shot at the net from about 10 yards away. But Pioneer goalkeeper Autumn Meyer made a diving stop. As the ball bounced away from Meyer, Ellie Stewart had a seemingly open shot at the net. However, she kicked the ball into the still-prone Meyer in front of the net.

“When I kicked the ball, I swear it was going in. Then when [Meyer] didn’t catch it, I thought Ellie had it,” Wyatt recalled.

Floyd Central (4-0-3) controlled the pace for the first two minutes and had the game’s first two significant scoring chances. However, as the rest of the contest unfolded, Providence took more and more control.

The defending Class A champion Pioneers out-shot Floyd 15-11 and got the better of the scoring chances, 7-6.

“I was really proud of the girls,” Smith said. “We are not as deep as they are and we leveled things out after they got off to a good start. We may have even gotten the better [of the action] in the last 20 minutes.”

It was Wyatt who had the most opportunities. But every time she seemed to get loose, the Providence (3-4-1) defense was there to meet her. More often than not, it was Mattingly, an All-State candidate and a future Ball State Cardinal, who was there to stop Wyatt and any other Highlander who threatened to score.

“That’s our job,” Mattingly said of the Pioneer defense. “If we have to tie, at least it was a scoreless tie.”

“She’s exceptional,” Smith said of his senior. “She covers so much ground and she plays so hard. She’s a difference-maker.”

The Highlanders agree.

“She’s a great player,” Wyatt praised. “She’s so fast and her skills are crazy good.”

“Mattingly is dynamite,” Stevens concurred. “We kept taking the ball down the middle [against Mattingly] and I wanted to rip my head off. As much as I want to bemoan our offense, Providence’s defense had a lot to do [with the scoreless tie], as well.”

The Pioneers will face Presentation Academy on Thursday, while Floyd Central will put its unbeaten Hoosier Hills Conference mark on the line Saturday when it goes to Columbus East.



BOX SCORE

FLOYD CENTRAL 0, PROVIDENCE 0

Providence        0 0—0

Floyd Central    0 0—0

    Shots: Providence 15; Floyd Central 11.

    Shots on goal: Providence 3; Floyd Central 4.  

    Scoring chances: Providence 7; Floyd Central 6.

    Fouls: Providence 5; Floyd Central 7.

    Corner kicks: Providence 2; Floyd Central 2.  

    Saves: Providence — Autumn Meyer 4; Floyd Central — Jessica Coryell 3.

    Cards: Floyd Central — Lauren Wyatt (Yellow).