Owensboro boys soccer advanced to the 9th District Championship and Third Region Tournament for the first time since 2019 on Tuesday, taking advantage of a beautiful shot by Junior Rugama and an own goal to come out on top 2-1 against the Aces.
Both teams came flying out of the gates looking to set the tone, playing aggressive and very physical. That intensity came back to bite the Red Devils in the 15th minute, as a shove in the back on a corner kick in the box gave senior Brody Martin a penalty kick opportunity.
Sophomore Landon Black was able to make the save in net for Owensboro, but Brody followed his shot and completed the rebound to make it a 1-0 Owensboro Catholic lead early on. The Red Devils were able to bounce back afterwards, controlling possession until freshman Junior Rugama sent a beautiful volley into the left side of the net from about 25 yards out and evened things up at 1-1 in the 27th minute.
Momentum swung Owensboro’s way even further five minutes later, as a cross into the box from junior Dustin Payne was accidentally headed into the Aces net by sophomore Cameron Cecil to give the Red Devils a 2-1 lead in the 32nd minute.
Owensboro took the lead into halftime, remaining well in charge going into the 59th minute with a commanding advantage in the possession battle. The Aces got a shot on goal in the 66th minute, but it wasn’t until the final five minutes that they truly threatened the Red Devils defense.
Owensboro Catholic earned back-to-back corner kicks in the 76th minute, with the latter nearly being a game-tying header. The ball careened off the crossbar and back into play, with the Aces earning one last corner about a minute later.
Nothing came of it however, as Owensboro was able to close the door on a No. 2 vs. No. 3 upset at a score of 2-1 to secure their spot in the 9th District Championship for the first time in three years.
“I thought we played hard,” Head Coach Ryan Haley said. “I thought we fought well. We used one sub the whole game and that was mainly due to injury. I thought our guys fought very hard.”
The Red Devils ability to maintain possession was a crucial part of their success throughout the match, as Haley said that it was part of their gameplan and the execution of it and adaptation of it as the night went on that helped them do so.
“The key to that is playing certain guys up higher,” Haley said. “In the second half we chose not to, mainly Peter… We had Ryan and Peter on the flanks and were able to keep up possession the way we really wanted to. They were doing an excellent job shutting the flanks down. It got to the point where I was moving Ryan central.”
Haley is thrilled that the Red Devils were able to grab the first-round upset on Tuesday, noting that this program’s growth will continue with more experience in the Third Region Tournament.
“We’re happy to be here,” Haley said. “We look forward to the district championship and then in region. Just for the record, I have one player—24 rostered—one player that has played in region. So this is some very needed experience.”
Owensboro will see a familiar foe on Thursday at 7 p.m., taking on the No. 1 seeded Daviess County following a 2-0 win over Apollo. Haley and company know they’ll have their work cut out for them in their third matchup of the season, so they’ll look to celebrate the win and get right back to work tomorrow in hopes of earning some hardware.
“We’ve gotta play more than 11 guys,” Haley said. “They sub in like four at a time. Playing and keeping the pace will be tough. I think we’ve got to mentally prepare for that game. We’ll let them enjoy their success tonight and tomorrow go back to work because the season’s still going on. And I think these boys would like to have a district championship, you know, so I think we need to fight for that.”
Haley would be remiss following the loss if he didn’t tip his cap to Owensboro Catholic Tuesday night, saying that they were a heck of a squad that never gave up—a recurring theme for an experienced Aces squad.
“Catholic is a good side,” Haley said. “Their players fight really hard. They did an exceptional job. They brought guys forward, even goal as you saw. They deserved to win this game as much as we do honestly… I respect them. Our boys are happy and celebrating, but it could’ve been anybody’s game.”
Despite the end result Head Coach Andy Donohoe was very pleased with his team’s effort on Tuesday, noting that they were just a bit unlucky with an incredible shot and own goal being their lone shortcomings defensively.
“I thought we were outstanding in the game,” Donohoe said. “We have to play a certain way to maximize the players we have and they did that. Usually in games you can kind of pick out things and say ‘this is the mistake that led to the goal’, but it was an unbelievable first goal to start. And then the second one was unlucky. That can happen, especially as a defender.”
The Aces were able to earn the No. 2 seed with their play during the regular season, as they finished 8-7-3 overall. While they might not be going on a deeper postseason run, Donohoe couldn’t be more proud of the way his team has attacked this season.
“This team’s proved that limitations are a figment of the imagination,” Donohoe said. “Every game they’ve just come out and show it again, and again, and again. They defied our expectations and kept pushing. The senior group was so strong in and instrumental in doing that, so I couldn’t be more proud of them. It’s been a pleasure to coach this group.”
With a roster of 10 seniors that will now graduate following the season, Donohoe continued to compliment his group of upperclassmen that helped the Owensboro Catholic program forward in their four years.
“They’ve been outstanding,” Donohoe said. “They pushed this team all season and really throughout their careers. They were the group we looked to years ago and said ‘this group’s coming up, this group’s coming up and they’re gonna be big for us’ and they have. They haven’t let us down at any stage. I said after they’re not going to be judged on their ability to play soccer, they’re going to be judged on the character of the young men they are. This season has epitomized character.”
