Both the Owensboro Catholic and Daviess County boys soccer teams dominated their opponents in season-opening victories Tuesday. The Aces (1-0) beat Todd County Central 10-0 at home, while the Panthers (1-0) picked up a road victory 11-0 over Grayson County.
The Aces got on the board early with a goal from junior Cole Blandford, who ended the night with a hat trick. Senior Kevin Piedrahita added a pair of scores in the first half, and a goal each by sophomores Joe Fusco and and Caleb Ranello gave Owensboro Catholic a 5-0 halftime lead.
Head coach Andy Donohoe said he was glad the team didn’t slack off after halftime.
“The second half, we didn’t want any complancies,” Donohoe said. “We wanted to make sure that we continued to move. Part of our objective was to keep it competitive.”
Ranello added another goal, and a score each from freshman Andrew Wiman and sophomore Luke Payne capped off the night for the Aces. Though Todd County wasn’t able to provide much of a challenge, Donohoe said he got good feedback from the performance.
“I think were still able to see what we’re capable of and the progression we’re trying to make,” he said. “We made it competitive within ourselves rather than necessarily the opposition. We didn’t get complacent, and we tried to do the right things.”
The Panthers held a 3-0 lead at halftime, and they picked up the pace in the second half to finish off Grayson County before time ran out.
Junior Tylen Terry had a hat trick to lead the scoring for Daviess County, while sophomore Hunter Clark and senior Brian Winkler added two goals each. Seniors Max Miller and Declan Sandifer, along with freshman Carson Thomas and junior Carlos Diaz, each had one goal.
The Aces and Panthers face off at 7 p.m. Thursday in a District 9 matchup.
