Christian County may have lost to Hopkinsville in their District 8 regular season soccer match, but the Colonels got the win it needed most against the Tigers Tuesday night in the District 8 Tournament semifinals.
Noah Davis sent the Colonels into Thursday night’s tournament championship against host University Heights Academy when he blasted a shot past Hopkinsville keeper Landon Beaulieu for a 2-1 lead with 6:01 left in the first half. It was all Christian County would need as its defense stood firm in the second half.
The match was extremely physical and intense with several yellow cards being issued and several players having to leave the field with injuries during the game. However, Colonels’ coach Avery Seeger said his team stayed cool and stuck with the game plan.
Hopkinsville, which scored twice early in the first match up between the schools, took a 1-0 lead with 18:08 left in the first half on a strike from Erick Hernandez.
That lead stood until the Colonels’ Tyler Stokes scored on a corner kick with 10:54 to play in the half.
That’s when the intensity really turned up and both teams increased their physicality. Although neither team had many good opportunities, Davis found the ball at his feet in front of the net and buried the game-winner.
The second half saw both teams struggle to get many good opportunities and the ones they had were turned away by Beaulieu and Christian County keeper Mason Malone.
At the final whistle, the Colonels’ celebrated their victory with a loud and enthusiastic Christian County crowd.
The Colonels improved to 12-6 on the year while Hopkinsville saw its season end at 6-13.
Thursday’s championship is scheduled for a 6 p.m. start.
Photos by Peyton Biaquis
Photos by Joe Wilson