Kentucky Boys' Soccer
Welcome to the home of Kentucky boys' high school soccer. The goal is simple: provide a site allowing the soccer community to showcase their favorite players and teams.
The Awards Center in Louisville will be providing trophies this year for deserving players and coaches!...more info coming soon!
Top 3 to See
9/25/08
Anderson Co. 1 vs. #10 Woodford Co. 3
"these two teams cannot wait to play each other"
#3 Trinity 3 vs. #12 Bethlehem 1
"another chance for Bethlehem to show they belong with the big boys"
Southwestern 2 vs. #23 Boyle Co. 0
"both teams are hot...look for SW to win though, 3-1"
District brawl
Fight halts HHS, UHA soccer game
By Joe Wilson, NEW ERA Sports Editor
An ugly fight between soccer players from University Heights Academy and Hopkinsville High School marred Thursday night’s District 3 game and resulted in the contest being halted by officials with 26:25 left.
The incident began with about 32:00 remaining in the
Blazers’ 3-0 victory over the Tigers (3-8-2, 1-3) at the Hopkinsville Middle
School soccer field.
UHA’s Cameron Rager, who scored two first-half goals to stake UHA (12-1,
3-0) to a 2-0 advantage, was playing a ball near the Hopkinsville goal when
Hoptown’s Jonathan Sherman reacted to a hard tackle on a teammate and became
embroiled in an altercation with Rager.
Sherman punched Rager several times in the face and fans and players
streamed onto the far corner of the field before cooler heads prevailed and
both teams were sent back to their benches .
After a short discussion, officials called the game securing UHA’s victory
and the top seed in next month’s District 3 tournament.
After the game, an obviously upset Blazer coach Michael Parker defended his
player.
“Cameron didn’t throw a punch,” Parker said. “He took two or three punches,
but Cameron didn’t hit the boy. That’s when players got involved, fans got
involved and what not. Cameron is as physical as they come, but I haven’t
seen him lift his hands.”
Hopkinsville coach Ryan Amerson expressed disappointment in both players.
“It is a terrible outcome and I don’t think anyone would have wanted it to
end that way,” he said. “You hate to see something escalate like this. I’m
just disappointed by it.”
Both players received red card ejections and will not be eligible to play in
their next games. Hoptown plays host to Reidland on Monday and UHA plays
host to Mayfield on Saturday.
Joel Southall had pushed the Blazers’ lead to 3-0 with a goal in the opening
5:00 of the second half.
With the win UHA is the top seed in next month’s district tournament. It is
scheduled to play Fort Campbell, which also is undefeated in district play,
after the district meeting. Therefore, that game will not count in the
district standings and the Blazers were declared the top seed based on goal
differential.
Hoptown will be the No. 4 seed and play Todd County Central in the first
round of the tournament. The winner will advance to play UHA. Fort Campbell
will play Christian County.
“If we meet again, I don’t want this to happen again,” Amerson said. “I
think both coaches have an obligation to correct their players for the
misconduct that’s been on the field tonight. It would be a shame if either
of us let something like this go.”
Rockets top No. 2 South Oldham, 2-1
Hagan Smith went over a South Oldham player to clear a ball from the
defensive end Tuesday.
Taylor scores twice as Madison Central tops Southern, 5-0
Cardinals streak by Panthers, 2-1
The News Enterprise
BARDSTOWN 3, FORT KNOX 2. The visiting Tigers (4-8) won their second 5th Region game in their last three contests, while Fort Knox (6-7-1) lost for the fourth consecutive game.
The Eagles have allowed two goals or more in their last four games.
9/24/08
#18 C.A.L. 4 vs. K.C.D. 1 - Bulldog cup
"C.A.L. advances to the championship game"
#14 Male 4 vs. Ballard 0 - Bulldog Cup
#4 Trinity 6 vs. Waggener 0
9/23/08
Bethlehem 2 vs. Highlands 1 - Bulldog Cup
Trinity 2 vs. West Jessamine 0 - Bulldog Cup
Elizabethtown 0 vs. #7 Bowling Green 1
Soccer: Boyle rolls Frankfort 6-1
Danville outlasts Mercer County
The Mercer County Titans came to Dtown hoping for a win against a worn and wounded Danville squad. The Ads were coming off a grueling stretch of games, two straight losses, and various mishaps that had their starting lineup in disarray and the Danville coaches experimenting with new schemes in hopes of finding something that would keep them afloat. The experienced Titans were following up a strong game against GRC and were keen on ending a winless streak against DHS that dated back to 2004. It would be a great Homecoming night of soccer under the lights on Rice Mountjoy field at the Sam Harp Athletic Complex at Admiral Stadium.
Every game seems to bring new surprises for these Admirals and tonight’s was the absence of goalkeeper ‘Iron’ Byron Hempel. Byron broke his hand Tuesday night at East Jessamine and was sporting a brand new fiberglass cast equipped with some fresh signatures and a protective layer of foam wrap. Replacing him in the cage would be Jake ‘Black Jack’ Winkler who had spent most of the year in the field for the Danville boys. The next surprise took place early in the game when the Ads managed to reverse a recent trend and get on the board first. Cole ‘Capt.’ Steber dribbled deftly deep into the left side of the Mercer box and fed a waiting ‘Mad’ Max Meckes and in just the 3rd minute it was Danville on top for a change. Now it was up to a revamped back line to make the goal stand up.
Coaches Beauman, Schulz and Smith must have stayed up all night devising this new alignment as what originally looked like a 4-4-2 with a diamond morphed into a rhombus, followed by maybe a hexagon. Whatever Geometry book they pulled this out of didn’t really matter though, as mostly it was effective. ‘Friar’ Tuck Arnett did a nice job manning the middle while ‘Kangaroo’ Karl Hempel and John Austin ‘Powers’ Coulter cleaned up the edges. Kyle Snapp ‘Crackle Pop’ and Louis ‘LaBamba’ Beto were their usually steady selves in the back. Their strong play early allowed Winkler to shake off the rust and get comfortable. He turned away the best opportunity of the half for Mercer when he got a piece of a close range blast from Mercer midfielder Aaron Steele and dodged a bullet when a chip from senior Adam Goodlett hit the top of the crossbar. The first half would end with the Ads holding on to a 1-0 lead.
Danville came out with renewed confidence in the second half and seemed to have the better of the play. Taylor ‘Bananas’ Foster and Kris Frey ‘Daddy’ kept the ball in the Mercer end for the first ten minutes and created several opportunities for the Ad strikers. The best was a point blank shot from Meckes that was save nicely by Titan keeper Koji Butterbaugh. The longer they kept possession the more impatient Mercer became, which led to several take downs and a number of yellow cards called against the Titan defense. Despite numerous chances, the Ads could not take advantage of any of the free kicks however, and the Titans kept the heat on. A Tate Spivey corner kick presented the best chance of the half for Mercer, but was punched out and collected by Winkler with 10 minutes left. Danville packed it in the rest of the way to preserve a gritty 1-0 victory.
The Ads get a much deserved rest before they take on Anderson County next week. Mercer will be at Madison Southern next Monday.
Stat Leaders
Top Scorers:
20- Aaron Hutchinson (Christian County)
16- Jeff Poston (South Laurel)
16- Sam Williams (Anderson County)
16- Russ Duggar (Madisonville North Hopkins)
14- Bryce Burton (Franklin County)
13- Alec Robbins (Scott)
12 - Jack Goblirsch (Elizabethtown)
12- Sam Williams (Anderson County)
12- Grant Zigos (John Hardin)
10- Nicoli Petitfrere (Bryan Station)
10- Phillip Mabika (Henry Clay)
9 - Beau Bouthilette (Elizabethtown)
9- Alex Dudley (John Hardin)
9- John Mullendore (John Hardin)
8- Michael Lobbo (Lafayette)
8- Marcellus Hobbs (North Hardin)
8- Eric Froschauer (Ryle)
8- Colyn Siekman (Connor)
8- Christo Nousiadis (Davies County)
Top Assists:
14- Mile (Madisonville North Hopkins)
11 - Jack Goblirsch (Elizabethtown)
10- Jeff Poston (South Laurel)
9- Bryce Burton (Franklin County)
9- Alex Dudley (John Hardin)
9- Eddie Legaspi (John Hardin)
8- Owen Stone (Boyle)
8- Marcellus Hobbs (North Hardin)
8- Seth Beasley (Anderson County)
6- Phillip Habika (Henry Clay)
6- Grant Zigos (John Hardin)
Most Shutouts:
9- Jordan Holloman (Christian County)
7- Vann Pollack (Boyle)
6- Chris Grosser (NCC)
5- Alex Moody (Lafayette)
5- Kyle Thomas (John Hardin)
5- Logan Willoughby (Ryle)
5- Drew Cunningham/Jordan Ratliff (Davies County)
4- Brian Fleck (Anderson County)
GAA:
0.83- Alex Moody (Lafayette)
Justin Lewis determined not to let heart ailment slow him down
Justin Lewis clears the ball for
South Laurel.
File Photo/Denis House
By Tim
Branstetter
Sports Writer
While some kids have the ability to
play high school sports others are not as fortunate, and Justin Lewis has
discovered just how fortunate he is to still be playing soccer.
Lewis is a senior at South Laurel High School and was recently faced with
the tough decision of undergoing heart surgery in order to continue playing
the sport he loves.
“They (the doctors) told me I might not be able to play soccer anymore,”
Lewis said. “My heart beat would speed up at practice and it wouldn’t slow
back down.”
Lewis was diagnosed with Supraventricular Tachycardia (STV) a year ago. STV
is a condition that causes your heart to speed up and not slow back down. In
order to fix the condition doctors had to burn a piece of his heart.
“It was scary,” Lewis said. “I would just be sitting in my room and it would
start beating real fast and I thought I was going to die. I said a lot of
prayers and God helped out a lot.”
After forcing his heart to speed up to 233 beats per minute, doctors burnt a
spot near his pace maker and were able to fix the problem. Although the
doctors recommended waiting two months before returning to the soccer field,
Lewis was playing in three weeks.
“I told my doctor I was running two miles and he freaked out,” Lewis said.
“I couldn’t wait to get back on the field.”
Lewis, who also plays on the football team, was impressed with the support
he received from his coach and his teammates.
“Coach (Harmon) Hodge helped out a lot,” Lewis said. “He called a lot and
came to visit me. A bunch of teammates came to see me. I am real close to my
team, they are great teammates. We are all good friends.”
Lewis hopes to play soccer at the next level and while he plans on proving
he has the ability and determination, there is no question he has the heart.
Dustin Wilson’s trio helps Pulaski down Patriots
Ole! Ole! Eagles seize the day
Bethlehem players sing while skipping across the field following their 1-0 win Sunday over Owensboro Catholic in the "All A" Classic State Cup in Frankfort. The Eagles beat Danville 2-0 earlier in the day in the semifinals to get to the championship game. It was Bethlehem's second small-school state title in the past three years; the Eagles also won in 2006
Admirals can’t stop Jags
The Danville Admirals were playing their 7th match in 14 days when they rolled into Nicholasville to take on East Jessamine Tuesday night. The already thin DHS side was coming off a hard fought loss to eventual Class A Tourney champs Bethlehem and were showing signs of wear. They also figured to be without senior captain Kris Frey which wouldn’t make things any easier against the battle tested Jaguars.
The Ads have developed the nasty habit of starting games slow and tentative, so Coach Beauman was looking to shake things up a little and had the boys in a different set to start the match. They could ill afford another slow start against an East side that, despite their record, had played well against a schedule loaded with ranked teams. Unfortunately for the Ads, the outcome was all too familiar as, for the 3rd consecutive game, they gave up a goal in the first 5 minutes of the contest.
As is their habit, Danville responded well and played the next 20 minutes with much better energy. Following a throw in and feed from Max Meckes, Taylor ‘Bananas’ Foster buried a low runner inside the right post to knot things up and the Ads looked like they were back in business. Midfielder Cole ‘Step To’ Steber was all over the field in this match, and had a point blank blast tipped over the bar by Jag keeper Taylor Higgs. DHS keep ‘Iron’ Byron Hempel followed with a nice stop of his own off a free kick and things looked all even heading to the half. But again the Ads appeared to relax and with just 3 minutes on the clock, the Jags took advantage. Cam Miller beat 2 defenders and finished skillfully to put East ahead and then rang the bell again with just 4 seconds left in the half following a beautiful feed from Parker Banta.
The second half was well played but somewhat anticlimactic as East turned away what few chances the Ads could muster. Both sides subbed liberally, with Kevin ‘Cannonball’ Lopez and Nate ‘Double Dos’ Johnson putting in good minutes for Danville at the midfield. Iron Byron kept the Ads in it with 12 saves, several coming against breakaway opportunities from East. The lone goal of the half came on a free kick from about 40 yards out that found a Jag striker Christian King alone in the DHS box for an easy score.
The Mercer County Titans are next up for the Ads, who must step up their intensity if they expect to get back to their winning ways. Game time is 7:30 Thursday night at Admiral Stadium.
Final Score: East Jessamine: 4 Danville: 1
Records: Danville: 9-5-1; East Jessamine: 5-8-0
Bowling Green gets by Elizabethtown...Meade Co. is defeated
The News-Enterprise
Senior goalkeeper Jacob Wilson made seven saves and the Elizabethtown Panthers played defending state runner-up and seventh-ranked Bowling Green to a one-goal game in a 1-0 loss on Tuesday.
“I’m proud of the way we played,” Elizabethtown coach Jon Parsons said. “We played really well. It was very evenly matched.”
Bowling Green (10-1-2) notched the game-winner in the 68th minute.
Elizabethtown (8-5-1) had eight shots on goal and lost its second consecutive 1-0 game. The Panthers lost to 10th District rival John Hardin, 1-0 on Thursday.
Elizabethtown won the junior varsity game, 2-0.
UP NEXT: Elizabethtown plays at Oldham County at 7 p.m. Oct. 2.
FLOYD (IND.) CENTRAL 3, MEADE COUNTY 0. The host Green Wave (6-5-1) missed all eight of their shots while the Highlanders hit a third of theirs.
Meade County junior goalkeeper Jordan Compton had four saves.
Meade County won the JV game, 2-0.
UP NEXT: Meade County hosts 10th District rival team Central Hardin at 7 p.m. Thursday.
Central Hardin hands John Hardin first district loss, 2-1
By NATHANIEL BRYAN
CECILIA — It’s been said that what kills you only makes you stronger.
Dakota Bowen and the Central Hardin Bruins put that theory to the test Tuesday night.
A junior keeper, Bowen saved five shots and the host Bruins overcame the ejection of one of their leading scorers and the reversal of a game-winning penalty kick to upend the 20th-ranked John Hardin Bulldogs, 2-1 in a crucial 10th District boys’ soccer seeding game.
After stopping a corner kick in the final 20 seconds, Bowen ran to the edge of the 18-yard box, dropped the ball and dribbled down to the Bulldogs’ side of the field before John Hardin kicked the ball out of bounds.
“Keepers are keepers wherever you go. They’re just a different breed,” said first-year Central Hardin coach Mike Wiersema, who notched his first victory over a top-25 team in the state coaches’ poll. “But Dakota played lights out over the weekend and gave us another strong performance tonight.”
After a relatively uneventful first 53 minutes, the game got wild the final 27. In that span were 12 fouls or penalties, four yellow cards, all of the game’s goals, two red cards and the reversal of Central Hardin’s penalty kick on an encroachment call – think free-throw line violation in basketball – on a non-shooting Bruin.
“That’s a strong body blow,” Wiersema said of having the successful penalty kick being reversed. “It would have been easy to use all of that as a crutch or an excuse but they didn’t need to. They overcame it.”
When a John Hardin player and a Central Hardin player were both ejected for fighting with a little more than 17 minutes remaining in the match, they were not allowed to sub in a player, meaning the game finished 10-on-10 instead of the usual 11-on-11.
Lost in the mix was the Bruins’ game-winning goal as junior midfielder Matthew Huff knocked home a right-side corner from freshman forward Noah Wiersema with 6:02 left on the clock.
“We realized we needed this win,” said Central Hardin senior defender and captain Ryan Ortiz, who nearly got a foot on the ball before Huff did. “I don’t think they realized they needed the win as bad we realized we needed it.”
Central Hardin thought it had gotten the game less than 10 minutes earlier when senior defender Nick Laux drilled the penalty kick into the top right corner.
“It was perfect,” Ortiz said. “He couldn’t have placed it any better.”
It would have been better – if it had actually counted. The goal set off a celebration for the Bruins, only to find out the goal would not count due to a young rule (less than three years old) involving no penalty kick to count on an encroachment.
“At first, I was like, ‘Oh, yes. Let’s get back on defense and hold on,’” Laux said. “But after it was called back, I was like, ‘Oh, my. We’ve been pushing and pushing for this and now it doesn’t count?’”
Even after Huff’s goal, the Bulldogs (10-4-1 overall, 2-1 in the six-team district) kept pushing. They had two corner kicks and several long throw-ins in the final minutes.
John Hardin outshot Central Hardin, 14-10 overall and 6-4 on frame and had 11 corner kicks to just three for the Bruins (7-3-2, 3-1).
“It’s hard to score in a competitive game anytime. And then you have the added pressure of not having much time to do it,” said second-year John Hardin coach Alex Shearer, whose team had won six of its previous seven games against region foes. “But I was proud of our players. They never gave up. We did what we needed to do, but we couldn’t get one in the net.”
Central Hardin took a short-lived lead with 26:29 left in the match when sophomore forward Josh Nichols finished off a drop-off pass from sophomore midfielder Sean Keeney, but John Hardin senior defender Houston Lundy pulled the Bulldogs even less than 2 minutes later when his shot deflected off a player’s hip and into the lower left side of the net.
While deleting the Bruins’ lead, the goal also deleted any remaining chance the Bruins had of getting the top seed for next month’s single-elimination district tournament at John Hardin.
Central Hardin needed to beat John Hardin and Meade County – which the Bruins play on the road Thursday – with shutouts in order to have any chance in a three-way tiebreaker for the top seed with current leader Elizabethtown (which finished district play 4-1) and John Hardin or Meade County (2-1 in district with two games remaining).
While the game killed Central Hardin’s shot at the top seed, it hurt the Bulldogs’ chances.
In order to gain the top spot, the Bulldogs must beat Meade County and Fort Knox next week and allow a combined two goals or less.
The junior varsity game finished in a 1-1 tie.
UP NEXT: Central Hardin plays at 10th District rival Meade County at 7 p.m. Thursday. John Hardin hosts Meade County at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Mills' hat trick helps Cols to 10-0 win
Gleaner staff
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
MORGANFIELD -- Caleb Mills recorded a hat trick as Henderson County defeated Union County 10-0 Tuesday night in a district contest.
Mills was one of seven different Henderson County players who scored in the contest, which ended with 5:00 remaining by the mercy rule. Jordan Gregory scored two goals, while Cole Childress had two assists.
"Union County played really hard," Colonel assistant coach Benson Pryor said. "Even when it was 9-0, they were still pushing and it made our boys keep playing hard."
Henderson County, which improved to 7-04-1 overall, had 28 shots on goal to Union County's 2. The Colonels are 2-1 in district play. The Braves are 2-06-1 overall and 0-1 in the district.
Henderson County won the junior varsity match 8-0. Ford Stuen had a hat trick, while Buddy Hicks scored two goals and Caleb Yeary, Jordan Lee and Alex Farmer added a goal apiece. Cory Roberts had two assists, while Lance M. Wilson, Spencer Claybrook and Lee each had one assist.
The Colonels don't play again until Sept. 30 when they host Evansville Central for senior night.
Henderson Co. 10, Union Co. 0
HC -- Caleb Mills (Cole Childress), 4:00.
HC -- Colin Peters (Brandon Potts), 14:00.
HC -- Jordan Gregory (Mills), 16:00.
HC -- Potts, 35:00.
HC -- Logan Broadhurst, 39:00.
HC -- Mills (Childress), 43:00.
HC -- Mills, 47:00.
HC -- Ryan Lingerfelt (Gregory), 65:00.
HC -- Gregory, 72:00.
HC -- Ryan Crooke (Tyler Book), 75:00.
JOHN VERSER / Glasgow Daily Times
Bethlehem Eagles 2008 Class "A" State Champs
KyKicks.com Boys' Top 50
These rankings include games against out of state competition
JCPS did not allow games this week
9/22/08
| 1 | Trinity |
| 2 | South Oldham |
| 3 | Lexington Catholic |
| 4 | St. X |
| 5 | DuPont Manual |
| 6 | Oldham Co. |
| 7 | Henry Clay |
| 8 | C.A.L. |
| 9 | Male |
| 10 | Covington Catholic |
| 11 | East Jessamine |
| 12 | Bowling Green |
| 13 | West Jessamine |
| 14 | Greenwood |
| 15 | North Oldham |
| 16 | Paul Dunbar |
| 17 | Shelby Co. |
| 18 | Lexington Christian |
| 19 | Woodford Co. |
| 20 | Highlands |
| 21 | Tates Creek |
| 22 | Ballard |
| 23 | Bethlehem |
| 24 | Lafayette |
| 25 | Kentucky Country Day |
| 26 | Owensboro |
| 27 | Ryle |
| 28 | Madison - North Hopkins |
| 29 | Bishop Brossart |
| 30 | Montgomery Co. |
| 31 | Henderson Co. |
| 32 | Apollo |
| 33 | Boyle Co. |
| 34 | St. Henry |
| 35 | George Rogers Clark |
| 36 | Owensboro Catholic |
| 37 | Madison Central |
| 38 | Daviess Co. |
| 39 | Heath |
| 40 | Southwestern |
| 41 | Eastern |
| 42 | Elizabethtown |
| 43 | Newport Central Catholic |
| 44 | John Hardin |
| 45 | Graves Co. |
| 46 | Danville |
| 47 | Russell High School |
| 48 | Berea |
| 49 | Louisville Collegiate |
| 50 | Central Hardin |
2008 Bulldog Cup
more info found at Male's website
Start on 9/22/08
Male head coach Damien Sweeney offers up his thoughts on the upcoming 2008 Bulldog Cup:
Q: Many people
around the state view the Bulldog Cup as one of
the
premier tournaments....why do you think this is
so?
A: Just look at the competition. We have five
top twenty teams in the tournament. In all
honesty, a lot of these teams feel underrated.
I think each team looks at the tournament as a
way to legitimize themselves as a serious
contender in the state. Each game should be fun
to watch!
Q: What teams are competing this year in the Bulldog Cup?
A:
Male Cal
Bethlehem KCD
Ballard Highlands
Trinity West Jessamine
Q: How is your team looking coming into your tournament?
A: We feel
confident going into the tournament. While we
do have confidence, we have a very tough first
round game against CAL. Their offensive arsenal
is tough and we want to combat that with our
defense. Our defense is very young, but
extremely disciplined and talented. It doesn't
hurt that we also have one of the top goalies in
the country.
Overall, we look pretty good. With school being
out last week, we were prohibited from
practicing and playing games. With this said,
I'll be honest and say that I'm nervous about
the fluidity of our team. To take control of
our tournament, we are going to have to get past
a very tough and talented team in CAL and I
can't wait to see if we can do this.
Top 3 to See
9/22/08
Ballard 1 vs. KCD 2 - Bulldog Cup (shootout)
C.A.L . 1 vs. Male 0 - Bulldog Cup
Heath 10 vs. Reidland 0
9/21/08
Trinity 2 vs. North Oldham 1
Danville 0 vs. Bethlehem 2
Heath 1 vs. Greenwood 0
9/20/08
#2 Henry Clay 4 vs. St. Henry 2
Newport C.C. 0 vs. #10 Highlands 0
Tates Creek 2 vs. Ryle 1
Underdog Update
Warren East 3-8-1
St. Francis 1-9
Walton-Verona 1-8
Fleming Co. 1-9
Greenup Co. 1-7
Letcher Co. Central 3-4
Middlesboro 0-5-0
Estill Co. 5-5-1
Hickman Co. 0-8-1
Dawson Springs 0-11
Jeffersontown 1-6
Spencer Co. 4-6-1
Owen Co. 6-7
Shelby Valley 4-5
Carroll Co. 0-10
Col Soccer Classic ends on sour note
By Kevin Patton
The Gleaner
The Colonel Soccer Classic ended on a sour note for host Henderson County, which surrendered a goal in the final 10 seconds of the match to tie with Central Hardin 1-1.
The Colonels (6-04-1) had lost to Indianapolis Brebeuf on Saturday morning 2-1 but seemed to be headed for 1-0 victory in the finale of the four-game event at Colonel Field.
Central Hardin (6-03-2) put up only four shots against the Colonels but two came in the final 2:00.
"This feels like a loss because we outplayed them, we outshot them and we led 1-0 almost the whole way," Henderson County coach Brian Crafton said. "They kept serving long balls and I had been yelling for everybody to get back. Everybody should have been back except our forwards."
The Bruins served a long ball that was headed backward by a Colonel defender. When goalkeeper Logan Spencer came out to challenge him, Central Hardin's Brian Brawner put the tying goal into the net.
"This should be a learning experience for our team, and the lesson is the game is not over until the final whistle," Crafton said.
Spencer was in the goal after senior starter Ryan Crooke left the game with an injury with 2:08 remaining. Crooke collided with Central Hardin's Sean Kenney as the two converged on the ball and Crooke took a cleat to the shin.
Henderson County scored its only goal as Caleb Mills connected with 16:16 remaining in the first half on ball that was deflected off a Central Hardin defender. Cole Childress was credited with the assist.
The Colonels, who attempted 18 shots on goal, had numerous scoring opportunities. "We couldn't find the back of the net. If we had, we wouldn't have been in this situation at the end of the game," Crafton said.
Henderson County also had the lead in the game with Brebeuf taking a 1-0 on lead on a Brandon Potts goal on an assist from Jesse Young with 18:53 left in the first half. Brebeuf tied the game less than 8:00 into the second half and scored the winning goal with 12:03 to play.
"If you're going to have a good loss, this was about as good as you're going to get," Crafton said. "Brebeuf is a good team and we played really well."
Evansville Memorial, Indiana's top-ranked team, won the day's other two matches -- beating Central Hardin 3-0 and Brebeuf 2-1.
Henderson County's next contest is Tuesday at Union County. The junior varsity match begins at 5:30 p.m., followed by the varsity at 7 p.m.
Saturday's Results
The News-Enterprise
The visiting Shelby County Rockets put just 3-of-6 shots on frame, but it was the final one that mattered most against John Hardin on Saturday.
Shelby County scored the game-winner with 8 minutes left and ended the Bulldogs’ two-game winning streak with a 1-0 victory.
John Hardin (10-3-1) put 5-of-9 shots on frame, but couldn’t convert as Shelby County won its second game in a row.
Junior keeper Kyle Thomas made two saves.
Shelby County won the junior varsity game, 1-0.
UP NEXT: John Hardin plays at 10th District rival Central Hardin at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
CENTRAL HARDIN 1, HENDERSON COUNTY 1; evansville (IND.) memorial 3, Central Hardin 0. The Bruins (6-3-2) went 0-1-1 in the Henderson County Colonel Classic.
n Trailing 1-0, junior forward Blaine Brawner notched the equalizer with 5 seconds left off a cross from sophomore forward Taylor Sheeran.
Junior keeper Dakota Bowen made five saves.
Henderson County outshot Central Hardin, 12-7.
n Evansville Memorial scored all of its goals in the second half en route to recording its sixth shutout in the last seven games.
Memorial (8-0-1) is ranked No. 1 in the Indiana coaches’ poll and No. 39 in the nation by ESPN.
UP NEXT: Central Hardin hosts district rival John Hardin at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
MEADE COUNTY 2, OWENSBORO CATHOLIC 0; OWENSBORO 3, MEADE COUNTY 0. The Green Wave (6-4-1) split their games in the Meythelar Classic.
n Junior forward Zack Brown scored off a cross from junior midfielder/defender Logan Railey with 23:40 left in the first half and sophomore midfielder Ethan Madison added an insurance goal off a pass from senior midfielder Jonah Cundiff with 19:37 left to play against Owensboro Catholic.
Junior keeper Jordan Compton made five saves.
The Aces outshot the Green Wave, 10-8.
n Meade County couldn’t get its offense going against Owensboro, which outshot Meade County, 11-8.
Compton made eight saves.
UP NEXT: Meade County hosts Floyd Central, Ind., at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
First goal sparks Cols in victory over North
HCHS's Ryan Lingerfelt (10) Mitchell Mattingly (5), sam Burke (12) and Brandon Potts (14) line up to defend the free kick by Evansville North's Tyler Pike (4) during their soccer game at Colonel Field Thursday night, September 18, 2008. Henderson goalie Ryan Crooke made the save on the play. (Gleaner photo by Darrin Phegley )
Somerset, Pence endure Warriors in 1-1 standoff
Southwestern’s Niklas Nielson (left) and Somerset’s Cory Moss go up high
for a header in Thursday night’s cross-town match-up. The two teams tied at
1-1.
Steve Cornelius Photo / Commonwealth Journal
9/19/08
#4 Trinity 2 vs. Ryle 0
Tates Creek 2 vs. #23 North Oldham 3
Baylor 28 vs. Connecticut 31
9/18/08
#20 John Hardin 1 vs. Elizabethtown 0
East Jessamine 3 - West Jessamine 1
#9 Lexington Catholic 2 - Lafayette 1
from the Louisville Courier-Journal
St. Xavier's Kevin Bick, left, went up against Manual's Dino Sefer during Manual's 1-0 win last week. Bick expects to play center-midfielder for Indiana University.
(By Sam Upshaw Jr., The Courier-Journal)
Smith's play is anything but anemic
Brandon Smith celebrates after scoring first
goal of his career.
Photo by Tim Branstetter
North Laurel soccer player scores first goal of career
By Tim Branstetter
Sports Writer
Sentinel-Echo.com
North Laurel sophomore Brandon Smith is just
like any other soccer player, except on
Wednesdays.
Smith is anemic and before the season started he
discovered his iron count was extremely low. So
once a week Smith has to make a trip to the
hospital where he is put on an I.V. drip for 30
minutes.
“It’s just aggravating to make up all the school
work and I have to miss practice sometimes,”
Smith said. “I didn’t tell my coach before
because I wanted to play and I didn’t want her
to hesitate to put me in the game.”
Smith had been playing soccer for 12 years and
for some reason had never scored a goal. When
his Jaguars faced their cross-town rival South
Laurel recently, his dad informed him not to
score a goal because his mom could not make the
game, but he did not listen.
“I whispered in his ear that he couldn’t score
today because his mother wasn’t there,” Craig
Smith said. “It was also our 20th anniversary,
so it was a pretty good anniversary gift, but I
just wish she could have been there. It was hard
to stop smiling.”
Smith scored the first goal of his career while
his mom was on her way to the game. When she
received the phone call from her husband her
emotions were mixed.
“I got really upset,” Linda Smith said. “I was
upset, but happy at the same time. It was very
emotional.”
After several years of playing defense and being
involved on several assists, Smith knew this was
the year he would find the back of the net.
“I always assisted and played defense,” Smith
said. “It felt pretty good. I was hoping to
score this year. It was my New Year’s
resolution.”
Longtime friend and teammate Cody Johnson
assisted on the goal and Smith agreed that made
it much sweeter. He also added in the fact it
was against South Laurel.
“I look up to Cody,” Smith said. “He has helped
me a lot and has played on a lot of my teams. He
also assisted on the goal. Coming against South
makes it a lot better and I use to play on a
team with their goalie Tyler Huff.”
Craig Smith hates to see his son battling
through the iron deficiency, but admits it makes
him proud to see his son overcoming obstacles to
play the game he loves.
“It is kinda rough, but it makes me proud that
he don’t give up,” Craig Smith said. “Scoring
that goal just shows how hard he has worked to
get where he wants to be. What can you say, he
gives it everything he’s got. I couldn’t be
prouder of him. I’m glad for once he didn’t
listen to me.”
Late goal lifts Bulldogs over Elizabethtown
Elizabethtown's Huu Nguyen tries to steal the ball from John Hardin's Grant Zigos during Thursday's game at T.K. Stone Middle School.
Photo by Jill Pickett
Prep Soccer: Cardinals top Flyers
Bill Thiry/bthiry@winchestersun.com Clark goal keeper Blake Browning goes up for a save during the Cardinals’ 5-2 loss to Franklin County Thursday at the Cardinal Soccer Complex.
#24 Dunbar 3 vs. #11 Lexington Christian 0
Cardinals fall to Tates Creek 2-0
Scott County's Troy Whittemore kicks the ball.
News-Graphic/Nathan Peniston
Bearcats capitalize on Wolverines' miscues for win
By Chase Sewell
State-Journal.com
That's all Western Hills boys soccer coach Scott Cress said it took for Anderson County to slip past the Wolverines Thursday night at Sower Soccer Field.
"We played well," Cress said. "Just two mistakes and they got two goals. Like I was telling (the team), if there ever is a game where you tell me we make two mistakes and we're going to LOSE I'm going to say you're crazy."
Crazy or not, the Bearcats (6-2-3) remained undefeated in district play (3-0) with a 2-1 win over WHHS.
But even though it was the Wolverines' (4-8-1, 2-3) third loss in four games, Cress was very positive about his team's play, especially on defense.
"We're growing every game," Cress said about the Wolverine defense. "It's been a weird season. We start a freshman and two juniors back there. And every single one of them is new to the team this year. It's a learning process and this is a game where they're going to learn and they won't let it happen again.
"We kept them out of our box pretty much all night," he added. "Mark Davis, our keeper, the balls he was picking up in the box were easy balls almost all night. We made two mistakes, they got two shots, and they got two goals."
The first goal came at the 26:30 mark when Steven Pulcifer took a hard shot from 20 yards out that slipped into the low corner to make it 1-0.
WHHS' defense kept the Bearcats at bay for the rest of the half while its offense began to put on the pressure.
Anderson County pulled out a few offsides traps that stifled the
Wolverines' attack.
"We talked about that going into the game," Cress said about the traps.
"You have to pass that ball one step before you're supposed to pass it.
It's hard in a gameyou're so used to playing one way and then all of a
sudden, BOOM, I have to pass it sooner."
One of the times when the Wolverines did make that early pass was around five minutes to go in the half when Emmanuel Nfor got a lead pass that led to a breakaway in the open field. It was just Nfor and keeper Brian Fleck. Nfor put his shot to the right and off the post, but he followed it all the way and put the rebound in to make it 1-1.
The Bearcats tacked on one more goal in the second half with 16:25 left to play. Sam Williams dribbled through the Wolverine defense and got an open shot from 10 yards out and put it past Davis for the goal.
"The ball just bounced their way tonight," Cress said. "Later on, it's going to bounce ours.
"We had the opportunities, we just didn't get it into the goal."
Western Hills will take a week off before getting ready to host Southwestern Sept. 27.
Patriots, Berea battle to a scoreless tie
Fort Campbell stays perfect in 3rd District
From staff reports
Kentucky New Era.com
The Fort Campbell Falcons soccer team put itself in prime position for a District 3 championship by knocking off visiting Hopkinsville 3-1 Thursday night.
Aldo Torres had a pair of goals and Matt Lassitter scored as the
Falcons improved to 6-4 overall and 4-0 in district play.
“We can do no worse than the No. 2 seed,” Fort Campbell coach Joel Brown
said after the game. “It’s a position we’ve not been in in a long time.
The boys played well and they have great team chemistry.”
The Falcons, who beat the Tigers (4-8-1, 1-2) for the first time since
2005 and for only the second time since 2002, led 2-0 at halftime.
“Our district is so tough, but the kids kept their composure and that’s
what you have to do in this district,” Brown said.
The loss drops Hoptown to fourth place in the district standings with a
game against district favorite University Heights Academy next week.
“It puts a lot of pressure on us for next week,” Hoptown coach Ryan
Amerson said.
David Cohoon scored the lone goal for the Tigers on a header. Dustin
Morton provided the assist.
Mike Massie had an assist for the Falcons, who also won the JV game, 5-0.
UHA beats Todd County Central in district game
ELKTON, Ky. — University Heights Academy scored five goals in the second
half and defeated host Todd County Central 5-1 Thursday night in a boys’
District 3 soccer game.
Jordan Grace scored a hat trick and Joel Southall and Preston Workman each
had a goal for the Blazers (8-1, 2-0), who will play in the Colonel Soccer
Showcase on Saturday.
“We must have had 30 shots on goal at one point,” UHA coach Michael Parker
said. “We did everything but score. We hit the crossbar, we hit the post.
And I think they just decided they (Rebels) were going to play defense.”
Todd slipped to 4-8 overall and 0-5 in district play.
In the JV game, Koby Lancaster scored on a header to lift the Blazers to a
1-0 victory. Clayton Joyce provided the assist.
Hutchison’s 3 goals leads County over Union
MORGANFIELD, Ky. — Aaron Hutchison scored three goals and visiting
Christian County defeated host Union County 5-3 Thursday night in a high
school soccer game.
Hutchison has scored nine goals in his last three games.
“He’s just been on fire, playing great soccer,” Colonels’ coach Clint
Willis said.
Cole Isom and Dustan James also scored for Christian County (10-2-1), who
will play host to the Colonel Soccer Showcase Saturday and Sunday at the
Stadium of Champions.
Mitch West had a pair of goals and Juan Hernandez and Jon Kursave also had
an assist for the Colonels.
In the JV game, the Colonels and Braves played to a 0-0 tie. Goalie Landon
Spaulding had the shutout for Christian County.
HCA Warriors hold off Somerset in shutout win
SOMERSET, Ky. — The Heritage Christian Academy defense kept host Somerset
at bay and the Warriors claimed a 3-0 high school soccer victory Thursday
afternoon.
HCA coach John DeAngelis said keeper Dan Ligibel gets the credit for the
shutout, but he pointed to the outstanding defense of Reid Dodson, Chris
Farthing, McKay Lacy, Alex Little and Damian Carroll for helping his
keeper.
Trent Little, Joe Alvarado and Ryan Harris scored goals for the Warriors
(7-1), who led 2-0 at halftime. Alvarado, Luke Carpenter and Little had
assists.
Heritage Christian will return to action Saturday when it plays host to
Trinity.
Winn has happy birthday for Trigg County soccer
CADIZ, Ky. — The Trigg County girls scored seven goals against Crittenden
Thursday to walk away with a victory.
The Lady Wildcats (5-6) got four goals from Kelci Winn on her 17th
birthday, according to Scott Brown at WKDZ radio. The performance tied a
school record.
Misty Wallace recorded Crittenden’s only goal.
Trigg heads to Hoptown on Tuesday.
---
9/17/08
#6 Oldham Co. 0 vs. #3 South Oldham 2
Bishop Brossart 2 vs. #10 Highlands 2
Louisville Collegiate vs. Southern
Fans report cards...
John Hardin- A+, John Hardin has a very strong defense. Brian Lytner as the sweep,Kirby Goodwine and Josh Johnson on the defensive wings. Our midfield is very strong. It's controlled by Kevin Stafford and John Mullendore. Now John's offense is really amazing. Alex Dudley has amazing ball skill and should be known as another Kevin Bick well not really, but close. Grant Zigos is our other forward and has great placement and can finish balls really well. So overall John should be s low teen ranked team!!
Montgomery Co. - A+, They are 5-2 and are tougher than
East Jessamine, Lafayette, and Madison Central. They are
by far better.
Bowling Green - A, defense is one of the best in the
state. Only allowed 4 goals without Russell. If they can get
the ball rolling offensively they could be great
Bethlehem - A, defense solid like usual only 6 goals against so far beat bowling green
lost to Dupont Manual 2-0 in a good game in final four of all a, scoring good Jacob Allgier, Jared Wolf, Patrick Medley, and
Braden Hurst star players
West Jessamine - A, one of the most all-around solid teams in the state, can pass the ball extremely well and very experienced only losing one senior from last year. Look for
them to go far in the state tournament
Montgomery Co. - A, They have a lot of heart and play
with it on the field. Their schedule is better than
mediocre though. 5 of the 8 games they have played have been
top 25 teams and they still have good teams to play.
I guess we will all see how it plays out.
Greenwood- B+, Strong midfield led by Settle one of the
best attackers in the state but there defense is a bit
questionable and inconsistent. Bowers is usually solid.
Danville - B+, the admirals have played some tough teams
who have been very underrated. They have a record of 8-3 and
won the first round of the all a state cup today against a
very physical and talented Murray. They are already final four
in the all a for the 3rd straight year. In the few losses they have had, they have had some injuries to starters. Overall they
are a good team.
Covington Catholic - B+, the colonels have played many
GCL schools from cincinnati, they have one key win over
Henry Clay and one so-so tie to Highlands. Over all I can see
them advancing out of NKY and representing NKY well.
Bishop Brossart - B, They are 7-3. The younger players
are starting to contribute down the stretch and have a strong
midfield
Southwestern - B, they have played a decent schedule and
have played. Pretty well against ranked competition including
defeating Danville and Bethlehem.
Lafayette - B, a team with great talent, coaching and skill.
Has a couple kinks to work out but has one of it's strongest teams
in years and has already beat some good teams in Dunbar, Bethlehem,
and Elizabethtown. They also tied both North Oldham and West Jessamine.
This Lafayette team is really looking to make some
noise this year in their district which is most likely the toughest
in the state. They have upcoming games against Manual,
Lexington Catholic, LCA, and Henry Clay to show everyone how
talented this team is. Look for Lafayette to make a serious
run in the state tournament this year.
Russell High School - C+, Although they are a small
school from eastern kentucky they play well together and
with senior leaders like Corey Barker and Travis Fischer
and a solid Keeper. They are something to watch for.
East Jessamine - C, injuries and a tough schedule
don't mix well.
East Jessamine-C, Tough schedule, yet a young team showing
promise for the future. Injuries plaque this team constantly.
St. Henry - D, Haven't started strong, tough schedule, controls
ball, can't finish. Should be a top team once they start finishing
Bullitt Central - F, For freakin' awesome
Photo by James Mann
EAGLES STEFAN MITCHELL (LEFT) BOUNCED OFF of Kerry Rupe who crossed the ball to his teammate.
Top 3 to See
Kicks Picks in Blue
9/16/08
Dunbar 3 - East Jessamine 0
Bad breaks continue as soccer Jags fall 3-0
Bethlehem 5 - Nelson Co. 0
Elizabethtown 3 vs. North Hardin 1
Fox, Johnson send Panthers by Trojans
By NATHANIEL BRYAN
RADCLIFF — With North Hardin man-to-man shadowing their star all over Troy Wade Field, the Elizabethtown Panthers still found a way Tuesday night to outfox and outrebound the host Trojans.
Christian Fox scored twice and Wyatt Johnson’s game winner accounted for the first of the Panthers’ two rebound goals as Elizabethtown topped the Trojans, 3-1 in Elizabethtown’s second-to-last 10th District game of the regular season.
“We stopped (Elizabethtown junior center midfielder Jack) Goblirsch, but we let Fox loose,” said veteran North Hardin coach Jim Stone.
Goblirsch, the area’s reigning Offensive Player of the Year, was held scoreless for the first time in a district game this season after amassing four goals and five assists in wins over Fort Knox, Meade County and Central Hardin.
“If they take me out of the game like that, they’re also taking away one of their defenders and we’ll work around that,” Goblirsch said.
Fox, a senior forward, certainly had a productive day of work to keep the Panthers unbeaten in regulation in 31 consecutive district games dating back to 2004.
He got the Panthers (8-3-1 overall, 4-0 in the six-team district) on the scoreboard midway through the first half when he finished off a header by freshman midfielder Todd Lucas, who got the ball in the Trojans’ 18-yard box off a right corner kick from Goblirsch.
Johnson doubled the Panthers’ lead in the final 5 minutes of the first half. Backup sophomore midfielder Adam Porter’s hard shot was deflected by North Hardin junior goalkeeper Michael Sears, but Johnson pounced on the rebound.
“Our coaches preach about that all the time: Rebound, rebound, follow to the back post,” said Johnson, who scored twice in the Panthers’ 4-0 win Saturday over Warren Central. “I listened for once and it paid off.”
Johnson’s goal proved to be the game winner, but things got hairy for the Panthers in the second half.
North Hardin sophomore midfielder Andrew Stewart, who has a point (goal or assist) in three consecutive games, sliced Elizabethtown’s lead in half less than 15 minutes into the second half. Stewart’s goal, his third of the year, came off a tap assist from senior forward Marcellus Hobbs, who has five goals and four assists in his last four contests.
“We were in the game, although I don’t think we were ever out of it even when it was 2-0,” Stone said. “The boys gave a good effort and they came to play. They just fell short.”
Elizabethtown regained the momentum less than 15 minutes later as Fox knocked in a deflected shot by sophomore striker Beau Bouthilette.
“They (our coaches) preach about rebounding all the time, especially after our last few games because we had a lot of close opportunities we didn’t finish because of it,” Fox said. “I think that goal pretty much crushed any momentum they had and put us in a comfortable lead.”
North Hardin came out with the intention to force players other than Goblirsch, who the Trojans shadowed with Hobbs and junior Alan Wells, to beat it.
“I thought Alan Wells did a really good job on Goblirsch. We started off with Marcellus and I think Alan neutralized (Goblirsch) in the second half,” Stone said. “They’ve got three or four really decent players. They’re really controlled with their ball work. When they’re passing and moving, they’re hard to defend. I think we have the speed and athleticism to stay with them, but their ball control is better than ours.”
Third-year Elizabethtown coach Jon Parsons, who has yet to drop a regular-season match against district competition, was pleased with the way the rest of the team produced offensively.
“I think we’re more than a one-dimensional team. Jack brings so much to the game, but the rest of the team stepped up and I’m proud of them because of that,” Parsons said. “If one person is having an off day, others can step up.”
The loss kept North Hardin (5-6, 0-4), which had won three straight, from earning a top-three seed for next month’s single-elimination district tournament at John Hardin, while the win allowed Elizabethtown to move one victory away from running the table and earning the top seed once again.
North Hardin won the junior varsity game, 2-0.
UP NEXT: Elizabethtown hosts 20th-ranked John Hardin at 7 p.m. Thursday in its final regular-season district game. North Hardin plays at 5th Region rival Nelson County at 7 p.m. Thursday.
Flores hat tricks Lions in Warriors’ 5-0 win
Submitted Photo / Commonwealth Journal
Purples blast past Warren Central, 6-1
Joe Imel/Daily News
Bowling Green’s Austin Greer heads the ball over
Warren Central’s Jasmin Dedic on Tuesday at the
Bowling Green Soccer Complex
Jags give Redhounds all they want
Photo by Tim Branstetter
Eagles advance, Tigers fall in 'All A'
Jared Wolf got the only goal of the game
Saturday as Bethlehem won its quarterfinal game
in the "All A" Classic State Cup in Frankfort,
1-0 over Bishop Brossart. Because of the
inclement weather, Sunday's semifinals and
championship games were postponed until this
Sunday.
By Peter W. Zubaty/Sports Editor
Bethlehem boys still alive; Bardstown
girls bounced in ‘All A’
Bethlehem (10-3) won its quarterfinal match
Saturday 1-0 over Bishop Brossart, advancing to
the semifinals of the boys “All A” State Soccer
Cup in Frankfort. The Eagles’ only score came on
a Jared Wolf goal by way of a Patrick Medley
assist.
Bardstown’s girls were also in action Saturday,
but the Tigers (7-3) were knocked out by
Owensboro Catholic — a team they had dueled to a
1-1 tie just two weeks before — in a 6-0
decision.
Bethlehem was scheduled to face Danville (8-3)
in the semifinals Sunday, but the windy weather
that hit Kentucky forced that and the other
semifinal featuring Lexington Christian and
Owensboro Catholic to be postponed until this
Sunday. Games start at 1 p.m., and the
championship will kick off at 5 p.m. at the
Sower Athletic Complex in Frankfort.
Soccer: Danville posts 9-0 win over Lincoln County
Danville's Max Meckes, right, gets a shot past Lincoln County goalie Zack Rice for the second of his four goals Tuesday in the Admirals' 9-0 road win over the Patriots. (Hal Morris photo)
NO. 23 JOHN HARDIN 4, NORTH BULLITT 0.
The homestanding Bulldogs (9-2-1) scored all of their goals in the first half and won by shutout for the fifth time this season.Junior forward Alex Dudley had a goal and an assist, while senior midfielder John Mullendore, sophomore forward Tyler Powers and junior midfielder Kevin Owens each scored a goal.
Junior midfielders Eddie Legaspi and Tyler Owens and junior forward Grant Zigos each had an assist.
Junior keeper Kyle Thomas and sophomore reserve Joey Davis combined on the shutout.
John Hardin won the JV game, 4-0.
UP NEXT: John Hardin plays at district rival Elizabethtown at 7 p.m. Thursday.
From Saturday....
Prep soccer: Cards fall at Central Hardin
Colts pick up soccer victories
Photo by Casey Castle
West Jessamine's Heath Crist made a save during the Colts' 1-0 victory over
South Oldham during the Iron Horse Classic last weekend.
9/15/08
Garrard Co. 0 vs. Southwestern 5
North Bullitt 0 vs. John Hardin 4
Boyle Co. 2 vs. Somerset 2
9/13/08
Upset Special...
#10 South Oldham 3 vs. #2 Trinity 2
#25 Dunbar 6 vs. Ballard 0
North Oldham vs. Owensboro
Admirals move on against Murray in All A Quarters
A hot wind was blowing from the West when the Danville boys soccer team arrived at Sower Field in Frankfort for the quarterfinals of the All A Tournament Saturday. They were squaring off against a Murray HS team also from the West and just as hot, having won 5 in a row, all by shutout. The Ads would have to keep their cool if they were to get to their 3rd straight All A semifinal.
After a tough stretch of games the DHS coaching staff had been talking to the boys about starting games with the same intensity as they finished, but it didn’t seem to sink in, as again the Ads came out tentative and not stepping to the ball. Coach Beauman adjusted by using 5 in the mid – a move that prevented any Murray runouts. The back line snuffed out anything that did get through and the first 20 minutes ended with the teams still feeling each other out in the middle of the field.
The pace of play gradually picked up, and Murray started pressing the action with hard tackles and chippy play. Several Murray challenges were whistled for fouls before a yellow card was finally shown to senior mid Bobby Puckett for dangerous play, as the officials tried to keep things under control. Murray would eventually be whistled for 16 fouls & 4 yellows in the half.
The physical play eventually led to some opportunities for the Murray attack, but the Danville D kept their composure and played well. Wing defender Karl Hempel made several nice plays to thwart scoring chances and Louis Beto followed suit with some good play of his own. The Ad offense got into the mix with 5 minutes to go when Max Meckes broke in alone in the Murray box and was dragged down by a defender. The ensuing PK was stopped by Tiger keeper Nolan Jackson, but he was whistled for moving early and the redo – taken by Cole Steber - finally got the Admirals on the board and into the halftime break with a 1-0 lead.
DHS would have the momentum and the wind in the second half and they quickly used it to their advantage. A long goal kick was knocked down by a stiff breeze, collected by center defender Steber and passed over the top nicely for Meckes to run onto. All alone with the goalie, Max finished low and hard to give his squad a 2-0 advantage. The Ads’ intensity was much better to start this half, and just minutes later a Kris Frey blast from the top of the box was barely turned away by the Tiger keep. 10 minutes in, the Ads were flying and looking good.
Things can change quickly in soccer though, and when an inadvertent hand ball was whistled in the Danville box, Murray had a chance to get back in it. Midfielder Jordan Benton hit his PK low and inside the left post and the gap was down to 1. On his way back to the center circle Benton was approached by a Danville player and inexplicably hit the deck holding his head. The fall, complete with assistance from the Murray trainer, did not fool the center official, who waited for the show to end before restarting play.
The goal energized the Tigers, however. Subbing for fresh legs at every opportunity they picked up the pace and took to the attack. Mid Dillon Ward was particularly active, making several long runs and winning a free kick in the 12th minute that just sailed high. The pressure continued for a tense 15 minutes of action during which the Ad defense – lead by keeper ‘Iron’ Byron Hempel – had to dig down deep. As a unit they got the Ads through to the last 10 minutes with the lead intact. Taylor ‘Bananas’ Foster’s rocket from the top of the box almost iced it and ‘Friar’ Tuck Arnett followed with a short shot wide as the DHS attack regained possession and ran out the clock to gain a hard fought victory.
The Ads will face Region 5/6 champ Bethlehem, 1-0 winners over Bishop Brossart, in tomorrow’s semifinal. Game time is 3pm at Sower Field.
Final Score: Danville Admirals: 2 Murray Tigers: 1
The News-Enterprise
Senior forward Marcellus Hobbs recorded a hat trick as the host North Hardin Trojans cruised past area rival LaRue County on Saturday, 6-0.
Hobbs scored all his goals in the first half off assists from sophomore midfielder Andrew Stewart and senior midfielders Jacob Stewart and Jacquez Leandre. Leandre scored off an assist from Stewart as the Trojans (5-5) built a 4-0 halftime lead.
Junior defender Alan Wells scored off an assist from sophomore defender Travis Harlan and junior defender Andrew Messer scored off a pass from Hobbs in the second half.
Junior keeper Daniel Padilla made three saves.
LaRue County (3-6) lost for the second time in a row and fifth time in the last six.
Sophomore keeper Bo Haun made 15 saves.
North Hardin won the junior varsity game, 6-0.
UP NEXT: North Hardin hosts 10th District rival Elizabethtown at 7 p.m. Tuesday. LaRue County hosts Fort Knox at 7 p.m. Thursday.
ELIZABETHTOWN 4, WARREN CENTRAL 0. Junior defender Wyatt Johnson scored two goals as the homestanding Panthers (7-3-1) rolled.
Wyatt scored his goals in the 35th minute off an assist from junior midfielder Jack Goblirsch and the 45th minute off an assist from sophomore forward Beau Bouthilette.
Goblirsch made it 3-0 on a free kick from the 18-yard line and sophomore forward Zach Frank tallied the final goal on an unassisted shot.
Senior keeper Jacob Wilson made three saves and recorded his fifth shutout of the season.
UP NEXT: Elizabethtown plays at 10th District rival North Hardin at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
TIE: CENTRAL HARDIN 1, WINCHESTER GEORGE ROGERS CLARK 1. Sophomore midfielder Ryan Squires scored for the host Bruins (6-2-1) in the first half, but the Cardinals (5-3-1) got the equalizer on a second-half penalty kick to extend their unbeaten streak to five games.
Central Hardin moved to 5-0-1 at home this season. No visiting team has scored more than once on the Bruins.
Central Hardin junior goalkeeper Dakota Bowen saved five shots.
Central Hardin won the junior varsity game, 2-0.
UP NEXT: Central Hardin hosts 12th-ranked Louisville Male at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Photo By State Journal/Hilly Schiffer
Franklin County goalkeeper Tyler Pewitt blocks a South Oldham goal
attempt during Thursday’s match at Sower Soccer Field. South Oldham went on
to win 6-4.
Lexington Catholic falls to Barrington, IL 3-1...then defeats
Downers Grove South, IL 2-1
Bethlehem tops Bishop Brossart 1-0
Soccer teams struggle to find goals and wins
Indians take out Admirals
The Madison Central Indians came to pristine turf of Admiral Stadium Thursday night hoping for a win after a tough early schedule led to a string of close losses. The Danville boys meanwhile were looking to navigate their way through a difficult stretch of their own and build some confidence off a good effort against KCD just 2 nights before. Something had to give in this matchup of talented teams.
For the 3rd straight game the Ads started tentative, as they were slow to challenge the opening face off and allowed Central to quickly move down the pitch. A centering pass found Ryan ‘Gordo’ Horn at the top of the 18 with too much space and the talented Jr. made no mistake - burying a shot low right and putting DHS in a 1-0 hole just 40 seconds in. It looked bad for the Ads when, just a few minutes later, left mid Vince Clay beat the Danville defense and blasted a shot from close range. Danville keeper Byron Hempel deflected the shot wide however, and thwarted Clay again a few plays later with a sliding stop of a breakaway opportunity. ‘Iron’ Byron’s play kept his club alive after a shaky first 15 minutes and the effort energized the home side. With 23 minutes left, Ad pressure produced a corner and ‘Mad’ Max Meckes’ flying header of the Kyle Snapp service just missed. Max was shaken up on the play, but returned shortly after. It appeared that the Ads’ confidence also returned, as they started to push the action for the remainder of the half, while the back line - lead by Louis Beto, Cole Steber & Taylor Foster – rose to the challenge and turned away any further Central runs. A nice effort from Cody Christison almost knotted it with barely 5 minutes left, but his header sailed just inches over the crossbar and the Ads went to the locker room down 1-0.
The Ads continued to take it to the Indians to start the 2nd half and a hustle play at the midfield produced a yellow card immediately after the opening face off. The free kick into the box was controlled and dropped to Kris Frey who fed forward Jake Winkler. Winkler beat his man and the Indian keeper low and the Ads had an early response of their own to tie things up. The next 20 minutes featured some quality play, as both sides went at each other aggressively. Both keepers made big stops, with the best Ad opportunity a close range rocket from JC Davis in the 15th minute that was turned away. Central was wearing down the Ad defense, however, and effectively running the offense through Horn and Grant McIntosh. They finally got back on top after a wide run and cross from Coy Taylor was finished nicely by Daniel Monzon. Minutes later the Ads almost answered, but a point blank Meckes shot rolled just wide. The final 10 was all Ads as they urgently looked for an equalizer. They built several good opportunities, but the best was a pressure steal and cross from JC Davis that was headed just over the bar by Winkler with 3 minutes left.
The game ended with Central holding their 2-1 advantage, but hopefully giving a boost to the Blue & White for future success. “Tonight’s game was great preparation for the All A State Cup this weekend”, said Ad Coach Brent Beauman, “it was two good teams battling it out. Our second half play was much better and it showed that we are capable of sustaining a high speed, intense style of play.”
The Admirals face Murray HS Saturday at the Sower Field Soccer complex in Frankfort at 11am in the quarterfinals of the All A tournament. It’s one and done to advance to Sunday’s semis and tourney final.
KYKicks.com Strength of Schedule
Brutal
| Trinity |
| South Oldham |
| DuPont Manual |
| Oldham Co. |
| Lexington Catholic |
| St. X |
| East Jessamine |
Tough
| Henry Clay |
| Bowling Green |
| Woodford Co. |
| Male |
| West Jessamine |
| Greenwood |
| Lafayette |
| Covington Catholic |
| North Oldham |
| Paul Dunbar |
| Kentucky Country Day |
| Tates Creek |
| Shelby Co. |
| Ballard |
| St. Henry |
Ambitious
| Bethlehem | |
| Lexington Christian | |
| Highlands | |
| C.A.L. | |
| Owensboro | |
| George Rogers Clark | |
| Madison Central | |
| Bishop Brossart | |
| Ryle |
Decent
| Montgomery Co. | |
| Apollo | |
| Madison - North Hopkins | |
| Daviess Co. | |
| Eastern | |
| Southwestern | |
| Elizabethtown | |
| Henderson Co. | |
| Owensboro Catholic | |
| Berea |
Mediocre
| Graves Co. | |
| Heath | |
| Newport Central Catholic | |
| Danville | |
| Warren Central |
Cup Cake
| John Hardin | |
| Louisville Collegiate | |
| Anderson Co. | |
| Central Hardin |
Top Matches
9/11/08
#3 Manual 1 vs. #1 St. X 0
Manual slips one in, ends St. X's 26-game streak
For a few minutes after the game, even Manual's soccer players weren't sure who scored the goal that beat defending state champion St. Xavier 1-0 last night at Manual Stadium.
They finally determined it was William Frentz who tapped in the shot with 10:59 to play, allowing Manual to snap a 26-game winning streak that St. X had compiled over two seasons.
#20 E'town 4 vs. Central Hardin 0
Elizabethtown cruises by hurting Bruins, 4-0
Photo by Jill Pickett
Elizabethtown's Jack Goblirsch fends off Central Hardin's Noah Wiersema during varsity action Thursday evening at T.K. Stone Middle School.
Upset Specials
#9 Highlands 1 vs. #14 Covington Catholic 1
#7 West Jessamine 1 vs. Lafayette 1
Franklin Co. 4 vs. #10 South OIdham 6
Providence, IN 2 vs. Oldham Co. 4
#16 Danville 1 vs. Madison Central 2
#12 Male 10 vs. Central 0
North boys rout Louisville DeSales, 5-1
Saints win rain-shortened match over East Carter, 2-0
Prep soccer:
Cards hold off Bourbon County
Dylan Berry is tripped up by Corbin's Brian
Muffly.
Photo by Denis House
Tigers, Eagles advance to State Cup
Short-handed Eagles fall to Anderson County, 4-1
Soccer Tigers rout Dawson, improve to 7-1
Ads rebound against Bearcats
It was the Danville boys against Kentucky Country Day at Admiral stadium Tuesday night in a rematch of last year’s classic All A Semifinal match. KCD won that one in a shootout and defeated LCA to win the tournament and state title for Class A schools. It was a different story tonight.
Both teams looked a little sloppy at the start, but just 6 minutes in the Ads took advantage. Kris Frey (Daddy) collected a centering pass from Max Meckes, turned and drilled a shot low and inside the right post for a 1-0 Danville lead. In typical fashion for this competitive matchup, KCD came right back a few minutes later when Daniel Mark found himself alone on the left side of the 18 and hit a low roller past a charging Ad keeper Byron Hempel. Byron’s new green uni must have brought some Irish luck as the shot hit the outside of the post and rolled wide. The rest of the half featured more action, with controlled passing and aggressive challenges of 50-50 balls. Meckes was particularly active in the middle and worked for the best opportunity of the second 20 when he freed himself 1v1 only to be stymied by Bearcat keeper Matt Accardo. KCD seemed to respond after this and had the better of the play for the last 10 minutes, but could not find the net.
KCD came out re-energized for the 2nd half and continued to press the action. But the Ad defense was resilient and despite missing senior stopper Taylor (Bananas) Foster, continually disrupted the Bearcat attack. Mark and striker Carson Gernert were at the center of the KCD offense, firing 15 shots between the 2 of them. The DHS D forced most from long range, and the better opportunities were either wide of the mark or stuck in Hempel’s sticky mitts, who would then start the counterattack. When the Ads played fast they found opportunities of their own, and with 21 minutes left on the clock (Mad) Max again broke free in the Bearcat box. This time he was dragged down by a defender and the Ads were awarded a free kick, which Cole Steber efficiently buried for a 2-0 lead. Despite heightened urgency from the KCD side they simply could not break through and DHS middie John Austin Coulter finished the scoring late by converting a nice corner kick from Kyle Snapp with a one-touch finish. The play was identical to the one Coulter made at the same point in the match last week against Southwestern that was stopped to end a furious Danville rally. This time it sealed the deal, and a 3-0 Ads win.
The Admirals need to stick together and get back to playing team ball as things don’t get easier. They will face a hungry Madison Central team Thursday night at the stadium and the always tough Murray Tigers at the All A tourney Saturday in Frankfort.
Final Score: Danville-3 KCD-0
Records: Danville: 7-2-0; KCD: 2-5-0
Rivals
decide nothing, 0-0
BG
keeper Russell plays full game in district
showdown
Joe Imel/Daily News
Bowling Green’s Omar Anaya (right) and
Greenwood’s Nicholas Wheeler battle for the ball
Tuesday in their 0-0 tie at the Bowling Green
Soccer Complex.
Prep soccer: Cards shut down Rowan
Bill Thiry/bthiry@winchestersun.com Clark’s Mark Saporito scored two goals, including this early breakaway score in the Cardinals’ 3-0 shutout over Rowan County Tuesday night at the Cardinal Soccer Complex.
After struggling to start the season, North Laurel has now won two games in a row
Photo by Tim Branstetter