The Hopkinsville Lady Tigers needed a little extra time and a fortunate bounce to move on to the Girls’ District 8 Soccer Tournament championship game.
Lila Jorgensen’s shot deflected off a Fort Campbell defender’s back and past the Lady Falcons’ goalie with 1:55 to play in overtime and Hoptown claimed a 3-2 victory in the second semifinal match Monday night at University Heights Academy’s Givens Field.
Hopkinsville coach Jeff Addison said he and his coaches weren’t sure the ball went into the goal at first, but quickly realized the game was over.
Rebecca Wood gave Hoptown a 1-0 lead on a corner kick that curved into the net with 27:52 to go in the first half.
That lead held until 33:05 to go in the game when the Lady Falcons’ Alexa Aubuchon tied the game.
Kaylynn Lynch scored off a rebound for a 2-1 Hopkinsville lead with 13:20 to play. But before the Hoptown fans could stop cheering, Peyton Lopez tied the game again 2-2 on a shot with 13:04 to play.
The Lady Falcons had a couple of good chances in the final minutes, including a point-blank shot from their star Anna Allen. But Lady Tigers’ goalkeeper Jaleigha McFarland stopped the shot and preserved the tie. McFarland had 11 saves on the night.
Jorgensen’s shot then sent the Hopkinsville players into celebration and the Lady Falcons fell to the ground in dejection with 1:55 left in the overtime period.
The Lady Tigers improved to 13-8-1 on the season and will take on UHA for the district title at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Givens Field. Fort Campbell saw its season end at 8-7.
Tickets to the game are $8 and are cash only at the gate.
Photos by Joe Wilson