The Hopkinsville Tigers looked the part of the top seed in the Boys’ District 8 Soccer Tournament as they routed Christian County 8-0 in a semifinal match Tuesday at the Stadium of Champions.
The Tigers (10-6-1) wasted little time Rayan Bernal scored the first of his three goals at 36:40 to put the Tigers ahead 1-0.
Christian County goal keeper Preston Gentry turned away several shots before Anthony Evangelista scored off a corner kick to push the lead to 2-0 with 29:20 left in the first half.
The Tigers’ offense didn’t relax at all, getting off shot after shot. Gentry made several sensational saves. However, Jason Macario struck twice in four minutes and Hoptown extended its lead to 4-0 with 22:12 to go in the half.
Bernal got the next two Tigers’ goals at 16:56 and 7:18 left to pad the lead to 6-0.
With the Tigers turning up the heat, the Colonels’ defense scored an own goal as it tried to clear the ball out from in front of the goal. That made it 7-0 with 5:37 to play in the half.
Mikel Ramirez finished off the Colonels with a goal at the 3:56 mark and the game was called due to the mercy rule at halftime.
The loss not only ended the Colonels’ season at 3-13, but also was the final soccer game in Christian County Colonels’ history. Christian County and Hopkinsville will consolidate next fall.
Erick Hernandez had a pair of assists for Hoptown. Ramirez, Gavin Harton, and Macario also had assists for the Tigers.
Hopkinsville advances to the District 8 championship game at 6 p.m. Thursday and will play University Heights Academy. The Tigers defeated the Blazers 1-0 in a match that was played over two days last month due to weather.
Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at Gofan.com.
Photos by Joe Wilson