Owensboro Catholic relied heavily on their five seniors to roll to a 9-1 victory over Owensboro in 9th District girls’ soccer Tuesday night at Independence Field.
The Lady Aces (2-1-1, 2-0 9th District) changed their lineup around ahead of their senior night, and first-year head coach Lindsey Overby was complimentary of the group, citing their leadership as a crucial component of their success.
“We changed our formation yesterday, making all five of our seniors more central,” she said. “They get to open up the field and play more dynamically. They all did a phenomenal job carrying the team. It was awesome to see.”
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For a full photo gallery from the game, click here.
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This year’s seniors include Emma Eyre, Natalie Goodwin, Lily Moore, Kara Morris and Kaylee Morris.
Already sporting a 1-0 lead over the Lady Devils (2-3, 1-2), twin sisters Kara and Kaylee Morris accounted for three goals in as many minutes to extend Catholic’s lead to 4-0 midway through the first half. Kara, playing a new position, knocked in two while Kaylee booted one in up the middle.
While both seniors were pleased with their performance on the night, they were most excited to see what the future holds for this team.
“I would say overall, our performance was pretty good tonight,” Kara said. “It was good getting to become part of the offense again. I’ve been in the back, so it was fun getting to come up there and attack.”
Said Kaylee: “Our goal as a team is to be a competitor in the region and hopefully win the regional tournament. We have a great group of seniors and a great team. We all just want to see how deep we can go into the postseason.”
Owensboro (2-0, 1-2 9th district) received a stellar performance from freshman goalie Chandler Worth, who tallied 21 saves. First-year head coach Michael Lovett was proud of his young goalkeeper.
“She had 21 legitimate saves and we needed every one of them to stay in this game,” he said. “One thing I told her was to keep her chin up. Once she believed in herself, and the backline came to her aid, the sky was the limit.”
Katie Riney put the Lady Aces on the board first with a goal up the middle and later scored on an assist from Lily Moore. Moore notched two goals of her own, while Madeline Hayden and Ashton Logsdon also recorded one each.
After taking an 8-1 lead to the half, the Lady Aces didn’t score again until Moore’s second goal with three minutes to play.
“Things really slowed down for us in the second half and I think that had a lot to do with the new formation, but I think (Owensboro) really came back solid. They knew how to defend and they did it,” Overby said. “First half was awesome, we controlled the ball, we controlled the game, we dominated, and I’m super proud of all of them.”
Owensboro’s lone goal came late in the first half when Abby Warren punted the ball nearly 50 yards over the heads of several defenders, and Kallie Vanover tapped it into an unoccupied goal.
“We came out flat and a little soft in the first half and got down a tremendous deficit,” Lovett said. “In the past this team would have looked at the scoreboard and quit. This team looks at it, and it’s a challenge to them.”
The Lady Devils return to action Tuesday when they host Daviess County at home.
“We have a week off so we’re going to really focus on our tactics, our fitness, and our recovery, and get ready for Daviess County,” Lovett said.
Catholic resumes play Thursday when they take on Ohio County at home.
“We really need to improve on making those short, quick passes down the flanks, using our midfield to create those opportunities,” Overby said. “I feel confident about where we are, but there are still things we have to improve.”
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2019 soccer coverage is presented by Worth Insurance Group.
