Lady Cats land impressive draw with Providence

North Harrison coach Jeff Butler called it the ‘best game they’ve ever had.’
While it may not have resulted in a win, or a loss, the outcome versus Class 1A No. 5 Providence was one to brag about.
Thursday, on the road at Providence, the Lady Cats used an equalizing goal by Natalie Robertson in the second half to create a 1-1 tie with the Lady Pioneers.
‘We have a lot of momentum going forward,’ Butler said. ‘We couldn’t get over the hump at the end, but a tie with Providence was huge. We lost 13-2 last year. The kids are believing they can beat anybody. The mindset of the girls is in a good place.’
Potent goal-scorer Emma Roesner put Providence (4-0-3) up 1-0 when she dribbled through to score at the two-minute mark. From there, the Lady Pioneers were held scoreless.
‘(Mariah Jo) Nye played great and had several good stops,’ Butler said of his keeper. ‘It was a good, physical game. Emma Book played a super game as our central defender. She had to stop one of the top scorers (Roesner) in the state.’
Shifting Cheyenne Byerley from her wing role in closer to the midfield opened more opportunities for the Lady Cats’ possession of the ball.
In the second half, North Harrison took advantage of a corner kick to score. Byerley took the corner, setting up sophomore Natalie Robertson to score.
Neither team put in a goal the rest of the way.
‘We had a good chance toward the end of the game to go ahead, but they made a good stop,’ Butler said. ‘After that, we were willing to take a tie versus a good team.’
North Harrison’s record moved to 4-0-1. When the latest Indiana Soccer Coaches Association poll was released on Labor Day, the Lady Cats were ranked No. 20 in 1A. It’s the first time in program history they’ve made the top 20.
‘I’m really happy with the way we are playing,’ Butler said. ‘They are being a team. Being undefeated at this time of year as a small school and making the coaches poll, the program is on the upswing. The boys’ program is undefeated too. It’s great for both of us.’
Keeping the record clean will be tough this coming weekend as the Lady Cats will play in the Silver Creek Invitational, which features the undefeated Lady Dragons. Rival Corydon Central also is in the field.
‘The confidence of the girls is so high right now that we don’t want a let down,’ Butler said. ‘We’re not flying under the radar anymore.’