On Senior Night, it was only fitting that seniors Molly Fuqua, Kate McCain, and Lillian Coombs combined for four goals and an assist in Lady Panther’s 8-0 win over Owensboro.
Fellow senior Amal Kalik wasn’t able to find the back of the net, but she was pleased with her teammate’s performances.
“I love seeing my teammates score,” Kalik said. “It’s a great feeling. Especially the underclassmen that were able to score today. I love cheerleading on the side.”
In the 11th minute, junior Mary Evelyn Wiman got the Lady Panthers on the board first, beating Owensboro goalie Hayley Sikes. Two minutes later, Fuqua scored her first of two goals to make it 2-0. From far out, she was able to float it just over the stretched arm of Sikes.
From there, Daviess County continued to pelt Sikes with shots, but the freshman stood tall, finishing with 18 saves. With 29 seconds remaining in the first half Daviess County made it 3-0 thanks to Coombs.
Trailing 3-0 at the half, Owensboro head coach Sarah Poole said the coaching staff told the team needed to be more vocal.
“At half, we told them they had to talk to each other more,” Poole said. “To stay with the game. We obviously wanted to score a goal, or two, or three. At 3-0 at the half, it would have been great if we could have come back. We changed up our lineup a little bit to play more offensively, and it almost worked. From the start, we had a corner.”
After a sluggish first half for the Panthers that included a plethora of missed opportunities, the team amped up the pressure in the second half. In the 55th minute, Wiman was fouled in the box and scored on the ensuing penalty kick to make it 4-0.
Daviess County’s relentless assault tired out the Lady Devil’s defense leading to the floodgates to open. In the 64th, 70th, 74th, and 77th minutes Maddy Purcell, Sasha Foster, Kate McCain, and Molly Fuqua scored to end the game early via mercy rule.
“We played better than the first time we played them,” Poole said. “The score was 9-1 the last time we played and about 10 minutes into the second half the game was over. Our goal tonight was to play better and to see the team grow.”
For the Lady Panthers, the seniors weren’t affected by the emotions that came with the night, instead were focused on making sure their team secured the first seed for districts. Which they accomplished.
“It’s so early into the season that it isn’t hitting yet, and I still don’t feel like a senior in a way,” Fuqua said. “It was awesome though. To see older siblings have that and now it’s our turn.”
“For me at least it wasn’t as emotional as I thought it was going to be because it’s so early in the season,” Kalik said. “We have 10 more games until postseason starts. Coach Dave’s favorite word is composure. I feel like we’ve been taught that over our years so it’s easier to handle those emotions.”
