Staring at the net, Daviess County senior Carter Payne waited for the whistle, took a deep breath, composed himself, and ripped it to the left side past the goalie to give his team a 1-0 lead in penalty kicks. Three successful PKs later and the Panthers booked their ticket to the state semifinals in Lexington next Thursday, defeating Woodford County 2-1.
“I told our goalie Harrison Dunaway give me one save and this game is over,” Payne said.
Following a Woodford miss, Jack Quisenberry gave Daviess County a 2-0 lead in PKs. Woodford made their next two shots, with Saw Mu missing his.
Trailing 3-2, Woodford made their third consecutive PK, but it was called off due to the shooter having stopped his momentum and then resuming before shooting. On the reattempt, Dunaway made the save, leading to Lukas Humphrey sealing the win for the Panthers.
“This is certainly an unexpected run and if you had asked me in September, I would have been a little less confident,” Daviess County head coach Doug Sandifer said. “But this team has figured out a way to get results… If you defend your goal good things will happen and they have decided to defend their goal.”
The Panthers took an early 1-0 lead just five minutes into the game after Cameron Bell beat multiple defenders before ripping it to the right side – past the diving hand of Woodford’s goalie.
Knowing he had time because no one was stepping up to press him, Payne eyed Bell making his move behind the defense in the left-hand corner – fed him a pass and the senior took care of the rest.
“Cam’s one of the best attackers we have on the team, if not in the state and he buried it,” Payne said. “It’s kind of his thing. If you get Cam the ball, it’s one of those things you come to expect. We feed him, let him do his thing, and we see the results.”
Seven minutes later Woodford seemed to have tied the game, but the goal was negated due to an offsides call. From there, the Panthers dominated the remainder of the half, but were unable to find the back of the net.
In the second half, the Yellow Jackets looked like a different team – keeping the Panthers defending in their own end for long stretches at a time. Woodford found the equalizing just five minutes into the second half, thanks to Isaac Howard.
Off of a corner, the Panthers seemed to have taken a 2-1 lead, but the goal was called off due to offsides. From there, neither team would score again until PKs.
The Panthers finished with four shots on goal, while Dunaway recorded one save. For Woodford, they had two shots on goal, while their keeper Buckley Greathouse finished with three saves.
Next up for the Panthers, they head to Paul Laurence Dunbar High School in Lexington on Thursday for their semi-final match with Louisville Collegiate – one of the tournament favorites.
“This is the second final four I have been to,” Payne said. “The first one I was just along for the ride, but this one I actually get to experience it and be on the field. Being able to win it with a group of guys I have been playing with since I was a kid is pretty special to me. To keep it alive is something we have looked forward to all year.”
