Taking a deep breath, Kennedy Payne took a few steps and then launched his penalty kick shot past the outstretched hand of Daviess County goalie Cooper Payne. Letting out a massive roar, he took off sprinting with his teammates quickly trailing after him toward the opposite sideline and into the awaiting arms of the Owensboro home faithful.
The celebration was the culmination of overcoming a two-goal deficit, while down a man due to a red card, on their rivals’ home turf – resulting in Owensboro’s 5-4 win that lasted seven rounds of penalty kicks.
“I can’t tell you how proud I am,” Owensboro head coach Ryan Haley said. “I don’t think I’ve seen a team fight back like that, I’ve been coaching for 15 years. Two-goal deficit and down a man, we were able to get back into the game, and all of them were fighting for each other.”
After a slow start to the first half, the two teams’ offenses found their stride, with the Panthers’ Taylor Hoak and Ethan Dailey and the Red Devils Brian Payne and Dax Garrison all scoring. The second half started similarly to the first, with the two teams feeling each other out, but in the 49th minute, Daviess County’s Ashton Boarman broke the 2-2 tie.
“I thought we played a very good first half,” Daviess County head coach Dale Armistead said. “We were a little wobbly at times and we gave up a couple of goals we didn’t want to. We talked about it at halftime that we needed to settle the game down and come out and we did. We came out on fire and scored two goals.”
Looking to respond, the Red Devils attempted to score a goal via a bicycle kick, but collided with a Panthers defender, culminating in a red card and his ejection. Less than 90 seconds later, Saw Mu assisted Graham Robinson to double the Panthers’ lead.
Unfazed by the circumstances, the Red Devils offense roared alive, with Max Knoop and Brian Payne scoring in the 54th and 74th minutes to tie it. The two teams played two five-minute overtime halves before heading to penalty kicks.
“I was a little worried in overtime,” Haley said. “We were down a man, and we knew they were going to bring it. We were able to hang on and we weren’t really playing for shootouts. We were trying to win.”
Daviess County hit the post on their first pk, but responded by making the next five. Yet, when he needed to step up, Owensboro goalie Kaleb Davidson made a fully extended save – setting up Kennedy Payne’s heroics.
Apollo ride balanced attack past Owensboro Catholic
Francesco Alvaraez added a goal and an assist to help Apollo leave Owensboro Catholic with a 4-1 win. Both teams had even opportunities, with eight of the Aces’ 12 shots were on goal, compared to six of Apollo’s 12 shots were on goal. Apollo’s Kennan Jackson, Ahmad Hanafi, and Colton Anderson also scored, while Ben Leohr and Utukufu Lukalula both recorded assists.
“Catholic gave us a fight,” Apollo head coach Nikos Agisilaou said. “They came with intensity in a tough environment, and they made us earn it tonight. Our boys figured it out and played to their strengths to end the game.”
For the Aces, Luke Pfeifer assisted Andrew Bailey for the team’s lone goal, while Jace Obereier recorded two saves in goal.
“It was a game full of chances. They took theirs, and we didn’t convert ours,” Owensboro Catholic head coach Andy Donohoe said. “We are disappointed in the goals we gave up, and it’s an area we need to improve on. We are creating plenty of chances. The effort was outstanding. The boys gave everything. Improving our situational awareness is an important step for the progress of our team. There’s plenty of games left, and while the disappointment of defeat will sting for a bit, there’s plenty of carry forward with us.”
