Defending champion Owensboro Catholic came up just short against Ohio County, while Daviess County made easy work of a weather-shortened game against Muhlenberg County in Tuesday’s 3rd Region girls’ soccer semifinals.
A late goal was enough to lift the Lady Eagles past the Lady Aces for 2-1 win in the opening game at Deer Park, ending the season for Catholic.
With inclement weather pressing in for the nightcap, the Lady Panthers wasted no time in jumping to an early lead. The game was officially called after the first half, with DC claiming a 7-1 victory.
Ohio County and Daviess County are scheduled to play at 6 p.m. Thursday for the tournament championship. It’s the first appearance for the Lady Eagles in nine years, while DC is making their sixth consecutive trip. The Lady Panthers won 8-1 in the teams’ regular season meeting.
Daviess County 7, Muhlenberg County 1
The Lady Panthers (19-3) scored early and often in their weather-shortened bout, with the only blemish coming by way of a counterattack by Muhlenberg County (12-12-1) late in the first half.
Meredith Campbell opened the scoring in the first minute of play for Daviess County, knocking in her first of four goals. Fellow seniors Ashlyn Payton, Chloe Hinchcliffe and Bree Owen also chipped in a goal each to round out the scoring.
Following the victory, Campbell was laser-focused on the task ahead for her team.
“We’re here to play hard and keep up the intensity,” Campbell said. “We want to make it to state. Our crossing and passing was pretty good tonight and we need to keep that going into Thursday.”
Owen also noted the need for consistency in attack during the upcoming championship.
“We dropped our level of play a little bit tonight,” she said. “We’re glad that we won and came out on top, but we need to play a whole different game against Ohio County Thursday. Hopefully, we will avenge our loss last year (to Owensboro Catholic in the championship) and win the 3rd Region title.”
OHIO COUNTY 2, OWENSBORO CATHOLIC 1
For the second time this season, Catholic lost by a one-goal margin to Ohio County. This time, though, it meant the end of the road for the Lady Aces (10-9-1).
In the first half, early goals for each side kept the game level. Ohio County (14-6) was first on the board by way of Kinsey Embry’s 12th-minute strike, followed shortly after by Ashton Logsdon’s 20th-minute equalizer for the Lady Aces.
After an even battle that kept the game tied, the Lady Eagles scored the game winner with 6:55 on the clock. Ella Gaddis tidied up a shot by Carley Embry that bounced off the hands of Catholic’s keeper, finishing neatly into the back of the net.
Though it was a disappointing end to the season, Owensboro Catholic head coach Lindsey Overby was proud of her team’s effort in what she called a rebuilding season.
“I hate the outcome for my seniors,” Overby said. “It’s hard to walk away from a loss like this, but we’ll regroup and strategize to be ready to go for next season. We have several young players coming in next year that give us a lot of potential for the future. I’m excited for what’s to come with this program.”
Lady Eagles head coach Courtney Calloway was thrilled with the execution from her team.
“We’ve been working all season on being a well-rounded attack,” Calloway said. “Carley Embry does a ton for us, but we don’t want our attack to be based on only one player. It was a great team win tonight, and I’m so proud of my girls for the hard work they’ve put in to get here.”
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2019 soccer coverage is presented by Worth Insurance Group.
