The Daviess County boys’ and girls’ soccer teams both resume postseason play today as they hit the road for their respective semi-state games following last week’s region championships.
The Lady Panthers will play at 6:30 p.m. at Henderson County, while the Panthers travel to Madisonville North Hopkins for a 7 p.m. match.
Both DC squads beat their opponents during the regular season, but neither coach is taking anything for granted.
For the boys, head coach Doug Sandifer thinks his team has a chance to stay alive one more week. With a win today, they’d advance to a second semi-state game against the winner of Warren Central and Marshall County.
“We always try to break it down and take it one week at a time and one game at a time,” Sandifer said of the postseason approach. “I think they are both games we certainly have a chance to win. We’re not going to overlook anybody or look past anybody, but it’s not an impossible task for this team to continue.”
In the first meeting on Sept. 17, the Panthers (18-2-2) earned a 3-1 victory over the Maroons (20-3-2), who’ve won nine straight since then.
Sandifer said to get another win, DC has to maintain focus and stay fundamentally sound rather than getting caught up in the moment.
“Doing the little things in the game can be the difference,” he said. “It’s not somebody stepping up and doing something crazy. It’s everybody doing the little things that go unnoticed by most people. If we do those consistently, then typically at the end of the game we’ll be in the hunt.”
Though the offense has proven capable of scoring — they haven’t been shut out once this season — a big key for the Panthers has been their defense. They’ve given up a handful of goals that Sandifer said could have been prevented, but they’ve also got eight shutouts.
“There are things that are fixable and the guys usually recognize when it was their mistake,” he said. “I think we’re a tough team to score on. It’s all 11 guys working together defensively to limit teams’ opportunities to get good chances on goal against us.”
For the Lady Panthers (20-3-0), their 3-1 win over the Lady Colonels (14-6-4) came on Aug. 29. Head coach David Sandifer said his team is confident but knows it will be a tough rematch.
“We’ve been in pretty good spirits the last couple of weeks,” he said. “We’ve had good practices and good results in games. The girls are excited and upbeat. We know Henderson’s going to be a tough win if we get it. They’re quick, tough and aggressive.”
With a win today, the Lady Panthers would advance to a second semi-state game against the winner of Greenwood and Marshall County.
Defense has been a driving factor for the DC’s success this year. They’ve recorded 11 shutouts, and they’ve given up only one goal in their last five contests.
“Defensively they’ve played well,” Sandifer said. “They’ve kept us in a position that, even though we do score quite a few goals, if we’re struggling then our defense is able to stand up.”
Sandifer said at this point in the season most teams are in full form, so the Lady Panthers just have to execute their game plan.
“It’s focusing on the things you do well and trying to capitalize on those,” he said. “You have to play the way you’re going to play and see what happens.”
One advantage for DC as they begin their run at a title is a roster full of experience, as they’ve got 12 seniors who have played together for several years. Sandifer said that could help them as they move forward.
“They are very familiar with one another,” he said. “They work well together. They know what strengths and weaknesses each other have, and they do a good job capitalizing on those. Certainly there’s an advantage to having this much experience and this much depth in a senior class.”
