Seconds into Monday’s season opener against Muhlenberg County, Owensboro Catholic’s Joe Fusco’s seam ripped in one of his shoes, causing the senior leader to lace up another pair before he could get back on the pitch.
The new pair worked for Fusco as he tallied two goals and three assists to help the Aces to a 9-2 win over the Mustangs on Senior Night at OCHS.
Fusco said it happened on the very first tackle but he didn’t let that deter him as he was just glad to be playing again.
“I’m extremely happy to be back,” he said. “All I wanted to do all spring and summer and just come back and play. I couldn’t be more thankful. I’m just really glad we were able to do this and we’re going to make the most of this season.”
Catholic coach Andy Donohoe said Fusco’s play is going to be vital for the squad this season.
“He’s quality,” Donohoe said. “He’s a really tough player and he’s a huge part of our team. He’s like that in training, it doesn’t matter what it is. He’s got that competitive edge to be the best out there. It doesn’t matter if it’s an exercise we’re doing in training or a really important game, he’s the same mentality. That hopefully rubs off on the players and the people around him. He’s been like that since a freshman, he’s just that type of kid.”
Donohoe, like other coaches across the state, weren’t sure if they’d ever get to Monday’s official start of competition. But, Donohoe said he and those in his camp did everything in their power to make the game as safe as possible for his players.
Between the JV and varsity games, Donohoe could be seen spraying sanitizer on the socially distanced folding chairs in front of the Aces bench.
“Obviously the ideal scenario is everyone getting out and playing and obviously we have to remain safe and play within the guidelines,” he said.
Donohoe said his players have done everything they needed to do to get prepared for Monday’s season opener.
“The kids have worked a lot to get into this and put a lot of work in a short amount of time,” he said. “We can see parts, we’re probably a couple of things away from being a really good team and we’ll need to continue to work on that. There’s a lot of areas we can improve on. I know sometimes a big win can validate stuff but we want to make sure we’re a little bit cleaner in what we do and how we’re organized.”
Catholic’s Luke Hagedorn started the scoring as he took a pass from Brody Martin and headed it into the back of the net a few minutes into the game.
A goal from Fusco, a penalty from Max Kurtz and Hagedorn’s second goal of the night gave the Aces a 5-1 lead at the break.
Fusco, Hagedorn, Aaron Self and Caleb Ward would add goals in the second half to put the game away.
Fusco’s 25 goals led the Aces last season and he’ll continue that leadership role into 2020. With a solid opening night to complement teammate Hagedorn’s hat trick.
The senior said he doesn’t feel different this season as he knows everyone has a job to do.
“I don’t feel too much pressure, I just feel like we’ve got to do what we’ve got to do and everybody’s got a role,” he said. “Everybody’s got to carry their weight, no matter if they’re a freshman, sophomore, junior or senior.”
Even in the victory, the Aces coach said there were definitely things his team still needed to work on.
Donohoe said his team was too direct at times and said sometimes they had a “rec league mentality” where they tried to rush goals.
“We can actually be part of a process,” he said. “The pass, one or two before the goal, is as vital as the goal itself. That’s an area I think we can improve on.”
He said while they’re pleased, they’re not too pleased where they can’t see where they need to improve.
OC took a 2-0 leader in the early minutes before the Mustangs got on the board for the first time with 27:00 left in the first half.
Owensboro Catholic hits the field Thursday as it hosts Apollo in a 9th District showdown.
Owensboro Catholic 9, Muhlenberg County 2
MCHS (0-1) 1 1–2
OCHS (1-0) 5 4–9
Goals: MC: Camden Newman, Mason Dukes; OC: Luke Hagedorn (3), Joe Fusco (2), Brody Martin, Max Kurtz, Aaron Self, Caleb Ward
Assists: OC: Brody Martin 2, Joe Fusco 3, Anthony Johnson (2), Austin Martin
