The Lady Aces avenged their 2021 3rd Region Championship loss on Thursday, defeating Ohio County this time around 4-0 to secure their first title since 2020.
While it took Owensboro Catholic 19 minutes to score in the 3rd Region Championship last season, it only took three this time around. The first goal was a product of a cross from junior Ginny Young to junior Jahaira Ward in the box to make it 1-0.
The Lady Aces tacked another one on in the seventh minute, as senior Maddie Hayden was able to hit senior Katie Riney in the middle of the box for a goal. Maddie got in on the action herself in the 12th minute, cleaning up a shot by Young that was initially saved by the Lady Eagles keeper.
Ohio County nearly got on the board in the 21st minute on a free kick, but Payne was able to make the save to stay in charge 3-0. Owensboro Catholic took this lead into halftime, getting another goal shortly into the second half.
It was Ward who was able to find the back of the net once again, scoring to give the Lady Aces a commanding 4-0 lead. The Lady Aces weren’t able to score again in the remainder of the game, but their defense held strong and helped them secure the 4-0 3rd Region Championship win.
Owensboro Catholic had this game and matchup circled on their schedule coming into this season following last year’s 3rd Region Championship loss, as players and Head Coach Andy Hines said it was a big motivator for them and it showed on Thursday.
“We felt like we should’ve had it last year and we didn’t,” Hines said. “So that was a big challenge for us. We got in the weight room early and tried to put on some muscle. Because we knew if we made it to this game it would be a physical battle.”
Senior Abby Payne also recorded her 13th shutout of the season for the Lady Aces first 3rd Region Championship since 2020, while junior Annie Helwig also had a big game defensively. Hines felt like they could’ve gotten a few more goals as well, but couldn’t complain as his team played well in every facet of the game.
“Annie Helwig did a really fantastic job of picking up Emily Goff and just kind of slowing her down, putting her back on her right [foot]” Hines said. “I think that eliminated some shots. We knew that there were pockets in the corners, so we played in the corners early and got in. I think we were a little unfortunate we didn’t have a couple more, but it is what it is. When you win 4-0 you can’t really complain right?”
Ward—who led the Lady Aces with a pair of goals in the match—agreed with the notion, saying that she and her teammates were in sync from start to finish.
“We all played good as a team,” Ward said. “I felt like nobody played bad. I feel like we all played good and we were all amped up for the game… I think we were communicating really well together today and we were switching and using everybody as a unit.”
Grabbing the 3rd Region Championship was a team goal at the beginning of the season and Owensboro Catholic is thrilled to achieve that. Now the Lady Aces quickly turn their attention to the state tournament, looking to improve in practice before returning to the pitch and looking to extend their postseason run game by game.”
“Our goal was to get into state and hopefully do some damage and compete,” Hines said. “We’ve already played some of the top teams in the state, so we know we’ve gotta be better and sharper. But this is always the goal.”
