They didn’t bring their top game, but the Owensboro boys’ soccer team still had enough to come away with a 5-1 victory at Owensboro Catholic in the final night of regular season 9th District action on Thursday.
The Red Devils (12-3-2) were a little slow out of the gate, and head coach Ryan Haley said it was a bit of a hangover following a tough contest Wednesday night.
“I scheduled it like this on purpose to see if they could hold up to something like this,” he said. “It was probably our worst half of the year. We were just stale and there was no movement. There was a lack of effort. Individual performances were happening, but it was not a team.”
Despite their early struggles, Owensboro was able to take a 3-1 lead into the half. Marcos Barrera Jimeno scored just more than two minutes in, while Grayson McFarland and Hser Thaw also found the net in the opening half.
Jimino added a second goal early in the second period, and Andrew Saltsman capped off the scoring with about 16 minutes to play. Thaw finished with two assists, with Reis Dickinson and Jake Hunt adding one each. Radley Worth had seven saves.
“It was a better second half, but it’s not where we want to be at this point in the season,” Haley said. “I’m happy that we got away with the win.”
The lone goal for Catholic (5-6-1) came early in the first half, when Cole Blandford set up a score by Lance Dickens to tie the match at 1-1. Caleb Ranallo had four saves in goal.
Aces’ head coach Andy Donohoe was disappointed with the goals allowed, but overall was happy with the effort.
“We’re disappointed with probably four of the goals,” he said. “I thought they were from stuff that we could have solved through basic communication. But I thought their performance was really strong throughout. There are some really good elements that we can take from it. We have to learn from the mistakes.”
Though they finished the district slate without a win, Donohoe is pleased with the progress his team has made. After losing the first three matches by a combined 24-0, the Aces fell by a combined 12-4 in the final three.
He said after a meeting midseason, the boys responded well and fought hard.
“Even in the games that we won at the start of the season, I didn’t think there was any identity to the way we were playing,” Donohoe said. “The guys came up with that identity. They wanted to show intensity and relentlessness and we’ve started to show that.”
Owensboro finished up district play 5-1, tying for the top spot with Daviess County.
“It means a lot to me as a coach that works with the players every day and for so many years,” Haley said. “It means a lot to them as well to have a chance to get the one seed.”
The Red Devils are back in action Saturday when they host McCracken County. The Aces will be on the road Saturday when they start the All “A” Classic state tournament in Frankfort with a game against Prestonsburg.
Stay up to date on all your local sports coverage by following @OwensboroSports on Twitter and by liking us on Facebook.
__________
2019 soccer coverage is presented by Worth Insurance Group.
