The Daviess County boys’ soccer team opened their 2019 campaign with a decisive 7-0 home victory Thursday in a strong showing against Owensboro Catholic.
In the first 9th District matchup of the season for each team, the Panthers (1-0, 1-0 9th District) got scoring from veterans and newcomers, while the Aces (1-1, 0-1) weren’t able to break through against a tough opponent.
Daviess County opened the scoring after 14 minutes of play by way of freshman Hayden Boswell’s fizzing cross to junior Declan Armisted, who buried it in the bottom left corner past the Aces’ diving goalkeeper Caleb Ranallo.
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For a full photo gallery from the game, click here.
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The Panthers finished the half with a 5-0 lead, tacking on another quick score in the first minute of the second period.
Senior Jacob Boling added a goal and junior Hunter Clark scored twice, but the night also belonged to two newcomers for Daviess County. Boswell added a second assist to go along with a goal of his own, while sophomore Neh Reh managed to slot home two goals.
Panthers head coach Doug Sandifer was delighted with the infusion of speed and finishing quality that both Reh and Boswell managed in the game, each entering as substitutes.
“Neh Reh and Hayden Boswell, coming off the bench, provided us with exactly what we could want,” Sandifer said. “Jacob Boling does so well to lead this group as well, reading the game both defensively and offensively. He is everything you could want him to be, from his ability as a player to his character as a person. He’s constantly reminding guys what they need to do and picking them up when they get down on themselves.”
Boling said he’s glad Daviess County started their season off with a big victory.
“We started off a little slow tonight,” Boling said. “We stuck to the game plan, though, and I was really impressed with the efforts of Neh Reh and Hayden Boswell. I’m so excited to get out here and win the first game of the season.”
For the Aces, head coach Andy Donohoe was complimentary of Daviess County’s aggression, noting the cohesion of their attack from the first whistle.
“Daviess County definitely earned a win tonight,” he said. “That being said, we didn’t adjust well to the way they were playing offensively. I certainly felt it could have gone a different way from the start, and the effort from our players was valiant. We will need to be more efficient with the ball at our feet going forward in order to win games.”
Owensboro Catholic and Daviess County both return to action Saturday. The Aces play host to Christian County at 11 a.m., and the Panthers hit the road for an 11:30 a.m. kickoff at Hopkinsville.
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2019 soccer coverage is presented by Worth Insurance Group.
