Cougars fall 2-0 in sectional opener

CRAWFORDSVILLE -- Even though his team lost 2-0 and the Cougars season was over, head coach Dave Moller knew that his team gave everything it could.

"We have definitely played better these past few games than we have all season," Moller said about is team.

Earlier in the season, Crawfordsville pounded the Cougars 8-0, so for North Putnam to hold them to only two goals was a huge improvement. The Cougars held the Athenians to 0-0 first half, and the Athenians weren't on the board until the 33:27 mark when Matt Mummert got one past senior keeper Brandon Volland.

Then for the next 31minutes, the Cougars defense made the Athenians use every trick they knew and all the skills they had to score again. With just two minutes left, Cale Shireman got one into the net for the final.

"We wanted to play a more defensive style today," Moller said. "They beat us 8-0 in the regular season and we knew skill wise they were better, so we wanted to make it a defensive game and make them break us down. And it worked; you could tell that they were getting frustrated. They didn't get that second goal till near the end of the match."

The Cougars nearly made it a 1-all game midway through the second half when they got a free kick in the corner followed by a header, but it didn't go through.

"This could have easily been a 1-1 game, but one bad bounce and it changes," Moller said.

With the season now over, Moller is already looking toward next year as he hopes his players will use this season as a building block for next season.

"Next year we should be better," Moller said. We have some athletic players who didn't play this year that are coming out next year and we have the experience from this year. We were a young team this season and next year we will be more experienced."

At North Montgomery

North Putnam 0 0 -- 0

Crawfordsville 0 2 -- 0

Goals

Second half

CR -- Mummert 33:27

CR -- Shireman 2:05