tool name

Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2008

Jackets turn back third-ranked Colts

VERSAILLES — Nobody in the state of Kentucky thought Woodford County was going to beat third-ranked West Jessamine in sub-sectional soccer.

Not a single person.

At least that's what Coach Dave McIver told his No. 14 Yellow Jackets in the locker room before the game.

McIver's declaration stuck in their heads.

"There were tons of people pulling for us, but nobody actually thought we could win," senior Stephanie Patterson said. "That was our motivation. We wanted to prove everybody wrong."

Woodford County did just that for the second year in a row, knocking off a higher-ranked Colts team 2-1 in girls' Sub-Section 7.

McIver was glad to see his motivational tool was so effective.

"We told them if they believed they could win then they had a good chance to win," he said. "They're unbelievable. "

On Wednesday night, the Jackets will host No. 15 Boyle County in the sectionals with a second straight trip to the state semifinals at Georgetown on the line.

The unlikely winners got the go-ahead from goal from Patterson, who took a beautiful ball from fellow senior Brandi Levi and then slipped it past keeper Michelle Sutherland.

"That's my favorite ball: that through ball that nobody else sees," Patterson said. "It came to me and I knew it was in."

The goal, with 27:50 to play, broke a 1-1 tie. It was a mirror image of the Jackets' first-half goal when Patterson slid a similar pass to Levi, who scored to even it up 1-1.

Arin Gilliland put West on the board first after breaking through a line of defenders and firing a shot into the back of the goal.

It was one of six shots on goal in the first half for the Colts, who looked like the dominant team early.

But as the second half wore on, Woodford's defense got stickier and stingier. The Jackets allowed just one shot on goal in the second half, which came late in the game.

That one-shot stat made senior defender Kayla Washington smile. "We put pressure on them and they tended to get wild and nervous, and we'd take advantage," she said.

The defensive statistic made McIver smile, too.

"Our three backs and (goalkeeper) Lyndsay Vance played amazing tonight," McIver said. "Our midfield played unbelievable. ... As the game went along we got more and more confidence."

West Coach Kevin Wright could see his team unravel a bit in the second half.

"We got a little out of sorts," he said. "When things go like that in other sports, you have timeouts and stuff. We could have used one or two of those."

But Wright couldn't help but be proud of his Colts, who had lost only one game all season before Monday.

"We've done a lot of great things," Wright said. "The kids have big heart and character. ... Only one team can finish the year with a win and we were hoping to be that team, but it didn't happen."Woodford County 2, West Jessamine 1

Goalse_SEmDWJ: Arin Gilliland; WC: Brandi Levi, Stephanie Patterson. Goalkeeperse_SEmDWJ: Michelle Sutherland; WC: Lyndsay Vance.

Records: West Jessamine 17-2-3, Woodford County 17-6.