University Heights Academy didn’t waste any time taking the suspense out of the Girls’ District 8 Soccer Tournament championship game Wednesday night at the Stadium of Champions.
Kendall Hancock scored two of her three goals in the opening 2:04 and led the Lady Blazers to their fourth consecutive District 8 title with an 8-1 win over Fort Campbell.
The Lady Falcons (7-8) were making their first appearance in the district final since 2014 after upsetting Hopkinsville 5-0 on Monday night. But, UHA never gave Fort Campbell a chance for a second upset.
Another Lady Blazers’ flurry of goals between 29:04 and 24:49 pushed their lead to 5-0. Skylar Cantrell scored on an assist from Hancock. Kate Adams found the back of the net on an assist from Audrey Perry and Perry hooked a shot into the net on a corner kick that got through the Fort Campbell goalkeeper’s hands.
Just before Cantrell made it 6-0 with 17:00 to play, UHA (16-2-1) suffered a scare as keeper Madison Williams collided with the Lady Falcons’ A’Mari Grimsley. After Cantrell’s goal, Williams had to be assisted off the field and Adams replaced her in goal.
UHA coach Michael Parker said initially the injury looked worse, but he was hopeful Williams would be ready for the region tournament.
Grimsley cut the UHA lead to 6-1 as she followed up a missed shot with 12:50 left in the opening half.
In the second half, Hancock scored again in the opening 30 seconds for a 7-1 advantage and Maggie Mohon got a shot past the keeper for an 8-1 lead with 14:29 to play.
UHA senior Cecilia Langhi said the district championship fulfilled one of the team’s goals this season.
Parker said he was proud of his team and happy for the seniors who won a district title in each of their varsity seasons.
Before her injury, Williams had a save and an assist and Adams stopped four shots on the night.
Perry ended the night with three assists to go along with her goal.
UHA will be the host for the Region 2 Tournament. If the District 7 championship match can be played on the Caldwell County field tonight, UHA Athletics Director Taylor Sparks said a tournament draw would be held at 9 a.m. on Friday.
Sparks said he hoped to play all four first-round games on Saturday with games at 11 and 1 while a second session would be at 5:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.
However, Sparks said if the Caldwell field is unplayable and the District 7 championship is pushed back, the region tournament would likely start on Monday night.
Photos by Joe Wilson