With only seven minutes to play, the Owensboro boys soccer team was on the brink of elimination in the first round of the Region 3 Tournament. They scored twice and played a scoreless overtime before knocking off Meade County 3-2 after a penalty kick shootout.
The Red Devils (15-5-1) and Green Wave (9-10-2) played a back-and-forth contest for 60 minutes before Meade County took a 1-0 lead.
Ten minutes later, they double their lead and looked to be on their way to round two. Owensboro head coach Ryan Haley said he couldn’t be prouder of the guys and how they responded when they were down two goals.
“They really seized the moment,” he said. “I thought in the last 20 minutes of the game we played lights out. They played hard and fought for each other. They didn’t play for me, they didn’t play for the fans, they played for each other.”
Austin Sovar had been playing on the left side of the field for the majority of the game, but once Haley moved him over to the right flank, Sovar scored within 30 seconds.
The late, newfound energy helped the Devils get another goal from Grayson McFarland.
Tied 2-2 at the end of regulation, the two teams headed to overtime. After two five minute periods, the teams went into a shootout.
“I thought we controlled most of the game, but we couldn’t finish,” Haley said. “I was hoping we were going to get our goal before PKs. But it was a fun way to the win the game.”
The teams nearly had to go to a second round of kicks, but they got the win on the final shot. Sovar scored again to secure the win for Owensboro.
“PKs are something we’ve practiced, and it ultimately won us the game,” Haley said.
“I’m happy to survive the day and continue to season.”
Owensboro plays again today in the second round against Ohio County (9-7-3). The two met earlier in the season in a match that the Devils easily won 6-0. The Eagles received a bye after beating Muhlenberg in their district tournament to earn a top seed.
