Girls’ 11th Region soccer tournament preview: ‘Crazy region’ a tough escape
After more than a decade removed from postseason success, Lafayette, Sayre and Model have come to crash the 11th Region girls’ soccer party. But defending champion Lexington Catholic looms large in the quest for the region crown and corresponding bid to the state tournament.
This year’s regional semifinals and finals will be held at Great Crossing High School, which has a dedicated soccer-only stadium, a fitting showcase for some of the state’s best teams.
Lexington Catholic’s Lady Knights, ranked No. 5 in the most recent MaherRankings.com ratings, have won four of the last five regionals. Their victory over No. 10 Lafayette, the 11th’s next highest-rated team, in the 43rd District finals makes them a favorite to secure another trip to the state tournament.
But LexCath Coach Terry Quigley takes nothing for granted. After all, his string of 11th Region success was broken by a superlative defensive performance from Henry Clay two years ago when the Blue Devils held LexCath scoreless and won a semifinal 1-0 on a set-piece goal with three minutes to play.
“It’s always hard. I’ve had great teams that have lost in the region,” Quigley said. “You can lose to anybody. … There’s just a lot of good teams.”
Henry Clay’s Mebit Aragaw has taken the Blue Devils to 14 straight regional appearances, and knows that anything can happen.
“This is a crazy region. We’ve got to take it one game at a time,” Aragaw said. “Anyone can take it.”
Here’s a closer look at the 11th Region field listed in order of their latest ranking on MaherRankings.com. The Maher Rankings computer formula rates teams based on a number of factors, including results, strength of schedule and historic data. Play begins Saturday.
Lexington Catholic
Ranking: 5
Record: 10-2-1
How they got here: 43rd District champion. Routed Lexington Christian 7-0 in the semifinals and then defeated No. 10 Lafayette 2-0 in the title game on goals by Abby Rowe and Olivia Bretz.
Notes: LexCath changed its formation after the loss of senior midfielder Bailey Stephenson, switching from four defensive backs to three. The Knights have also been without starting junior midfielder Sophie Skinner for a couple of weeks, but she could return soon. Quigley attributes LexCath’s success to the strength of defenders, Emma James Bryant, Katherine Truitt and Laura Banahan, who allow the rest of the team to attack the opponent’s goal more aggressively.
Quote: “Our new formation’s working pretty well. We are going to go as far as we can. We’ve just got to keep working hard,” senior forward Abby Rowe said.
Lafayette
Ranking: 10
Record: 8-3-1
How they got here: 43rd District runner-up. Defeated No. 12 Paul Laurence Dunbar 3-1 in the semifinals on two goals by Jaimye Cottongim and a score by Brooklyn Byrne.
Notes: Lafayette is making its first appearance in a regional since 2005 and has had its best season under fifth-year Coach Taylor Roden, who was encouraged by their performance against LexCath in the finals despite the loss. “We learned that we can hang,” Roden said. “What I’m most proud of is just how they work together and they love each other and they care for each other and they give everything they’ve got.”
Quote: “It means a lot. We haven’t done that (advance to a regional) in I don’t know how many years,” junior midfielder Jaimye Cottongim said. “I know we’re all excited for it. … We have really good chemistry, so we can talk about things and fix them.”
Henry Clay
Rank: 16
Record: 7-2-0
How they got here: 42nd District champion. Defeated Scott County 4-0 in the semifinals and Sayre 3-0 in the finals on a goal by Ellie Stovall and two from Addison Kenny.
Notes: Freshman Haley Flynn leads the team with eight goals and senior Elisabeth Hundley spearheads a defense that has given up only three scores all year. Hundley also serves up most of the free kicks and delivers huge services out of the back line that often lead to chances.
Quote: “This is my first season, so I’m really hyped to go into regionals,” said Kenny, who was named MVP of the 42nd tournament. “It’s going to be great competition.”
Sayre
Rank: 36
Record: 10-4-0
How they got here: 42nd District runner-up. Defeated No. 17 Frederick Douglass on a spectacular goal rifled in from a near-impossible angle by senior Allison Whitaker late in the second half of the semifinals.
Notes: The Spartans last made a district final in 2008 when they were in the old 26th District. They won the 13th Region two years prior. This is their best team since those days with Whitaker and fellow senior Alexis Henry leading the attack. Whitaker has a team-high 16 goals. Henry has a team-high 16 assists. “They are absolutely just a special group,” Coach Michael McKinney said of his team. “We’re going to see how far we can go.”
Quote: “I’m super excited to continue on. I hope we can go really far,” Whitaker said. “This has been really awesome. Honestly, I love my team and I’m really happy that we’ve gotten this far and that we’ve gotten to do it all together.”
Madison Southern
Rank: 39
Record: 6-4-1
How they got here: 44th District runner-up. Defeated Madison Central 1-0 in the semifinals on a goal by Rachel Burke.
Notes: The Eagles have had seven different goal scorers this season led by senior Abby Sheffer’s six. Both games against rival Model went to shootouts this season, with Madison Southern winning the regular-season tilt.
Great Crossing
Rank: 67
Record: 8-1-0
How they got here: 41st District runner-up. Defeated Frankfort 7-0 in the semifinals on four goals by Meren Patton, two from Elisabeth Keenan and one from Brooke Dennard.
Notes: In the program’s COVID-19 pandemic-shortened second year, the Warhawks went undefeated in the regular season with just two seniors on the roster. Patton led the way with a whopping 22 goals and 10 assists, making her one of the top points players in the state.
Western Hills
Rank: 87
Record: 8-5-0
How they got here: 41st District champion. Defeated Franklin County 4-1 in the semifinals and Great Crossing 3-2 in the finals on goals by Kennedy Carter, Anna Woolums and Maddie Muller.
Notes: The Wolverines captured their first 41st District title in the nine years it has been aligned there. Junior striker Ella Davis leads the team in goals, but Western Hills has had 10 different scorers this season.
Model
Rank: 96
Record: 7-5-0
How they got here: 44th District champion. Defeated Berea 1-0 in the semifinals and Madison Southern in a penalty kick shootout in the finals.
Notes: Model last made a regional appearance in 2009 when it was part of the old 14th Region. It was a district champion then, too. This year’s team is led by Julia Luxon’s five goals.
Girls’ 11th Region Tournament
Saturday’s quarterfinals
Great Crossing at Model, 11 a.m.
Madison Southern at Henry Clay, 5 p.m.
Lafayette at Western Hills, 6 p.m.
Sayre at Lexington Catholic, 7 p.m.
Tuesday’s semifinals
At Great Crossing High School
Sayre-Lexington Catholic winner vs. Great Crossing-Model winner, 6 p.m.
Lafayette-Western Hills winner vs. Henry Clay-Madison Southern winner, 8:30 p.m.
Thursday’s finals
At Great Crossing High School
Championship, 6 p.m.
This story was originally published October 16, 2020 at 1:24 PM.
