Owensboro Catholic was clicking on all cylinders on Tuesday, as they were able to grab a big 10-1 win over Muhlenberg County in order to advance to the 3rd Region Championship.
The Lady Aces came out of the gates aggressive as usual, drawing a number of corner kicks early and even getting shots from senior Maddie Hayden and junior Ginny Young to ring off the post. It wasn’t until the 12th minute that Owensboro Catholic broke through, as Maddie was able to corral the ball and score amidst chaos in the box on a corner to give them a 1-0 lead.
Three minutes later the Lady Aces were able to find the back of the net again, as senior Katie Riney hit Young in the box for a goal and a 2-0 lead in the 15th minute. Owensboro Catholic had trouble finishing chances as the half progressed, but they were able to get one more goal in the 28th minute.
A little unconventionally the Lady Aces would have a 3-0 goal going into halftime, as junior Elizabeth Hayden’s corner kick bounced past the keeper and in for the goal.
Owensboro Catholic was able to grow its lead to 4-0 shortly out of halftime, as junior Mallary Bailey found Maddie in the box with a cross in the 47th minute for a goal. A few possessions later Maddie Hayden returned the favor, passing to Bailey in the box for a goal and a 5-0 lead in the 50th minute.
Young was able to nab her second goal of the game in the 60th minute, before assisting on the next as Riney made it 7-0 in the 67th minute. Young completed a hat trick with a goal following a rebound in the 74th minute, making it an 8-0 Lady Aces lead.
Owensboro Catholic surrendered a goal shortly after, as the Lady Mustangs took advantage of junior keeper Abby Payne being a little far out of net to make it 8-1. However, sophomore Carmen Brauer and Young both got one more goal, helping close the door on a 10-1 3rd Region Semifinals win.
Young had four goals to lead the Lady Aces on the day, while Hayden was close behind with a pair. Head Coach Andy Hines complemented the dynamic duo for Owensboro Catholic offensively, noting that they compliment each other very well with their similar skill sets.
“I think Ginny is probably one of the best players in the area,” Hines said. “Same with Maddie. I think Ginny probably should’ve had six, seven goals. They create space, they’re good on the ball and both are two-footed players. When you’re both two-footed players you’re dangerous and they play hard.”
Owensboro Catholic advanced to the 3rd Region Championship with the win and Hines said with multiple days off coming into the game, just getting back to playing and staying healthy was huge on Tuesday.
“I think it’s just coming out injury free and playing the next round,” Hines said. “We played most of our varsity for that reason, to be ready for Tuesday. We haven’t played since last Thursday, so just getting playing time and coming out injury free was huge.”
The Lady Aces are set up for a rematch of the 2021 Region Championship now, as they are set to take on Ohio County at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. Despite grabbing a 10-0 victory in the 2022 regular season after falling to them last season in the regional title game, Hines said that this is a game that could go down to the wire and that they will need to come mentally prepared.
“Playing Ohio County we know they’ll have their goalkeeper…” Hines said. “That’s not the same team that’s going to come out next time. “So just preparing us mentally and preparing us to be physical and just creating our runs and opportunities [will be key].”
