High school soccer: Lexington Catholic girls win shootout; Dunbar boys’ season ends
Playing in arguably the toughest first-round game of the KHSAA Girls’ State Soccer Tournament against the team that ousted it from the event last year, Lexington Catholic defeated Highlands 4-3 on penalty kicks Saturday after a 0-0 overtime tie.
“It was a crazy game, super intense,” said senior goalkeeper Kalee Opalka, who got a save in the shootout and watched Highlands’ last attempt sail wide right before rushing into a pile of jubilant teammates on the Bluebirds home field. “I knew we were prepared, this team has put in so much time and effort. We play for more than just ourselves. We all play for each other, and that’s something very special.”
Highlands (15-2-2), which finished as runners-up in the last two state tournaments, was ranked No. 3 in the latest MaherRankings.com list, the most-cited ranking system in Kentucky high school soccer.
The Bluebirds survived a 9th Region Tournament that included No. 1 Notre Dame and No. 7 Dixie Heights only to be matched up with No. 2 Lexington Catholic (14-2-0) in the first round at state due to the regionalized nature of the Kentucky High School Athletic Association’s draw.
Highlands bested Lexington Catholic 4-1 in a penalty kick shootout last year in the state quarterfinals on the same field. LexCath had a miss Saturday on its second attempt, but Opalka was able to pull the Knights back into the shootout with a save on Highlands’ fourth shot.
“Losing last year prepared us more for today’s game, and I just wanted to do my part when I was called upon,” Opalka said. “This year it means more, being a senior knowing every game could be your last. It makes you play that much harder.”
Next up for LexCath will be 12th Region champion West Jessamine (9-6-1), a two-time state champion, which uncharacteristically entered tournament play with a 3-6-0 record before running the table to a fifth straight region title.
The Colts defeated Bishop Brossart 2-1 Saturday as every first-round game kicked off at near the same time. West Jessamine will host LexCath at 7 p.m. Monday in the quarterfinals.
Also winning Saturday were: Greenwood, 2-1 over Madisonville; North Laurel, 6-0 over Prestonsburg; Owensboro Catholic, 1-0 over Marshall County; Russell, 6-0 over Estill County; Sacred Heart, 3-0 over Bardstown, and Simon Kenton, 7-1 over Mercy.
The girls’ tournament continues at regional sites Monday with Wednesday’s semifinals and Saturday’s finals in Lexington.
Dunbar falls in boys’ first round
Paul Laurence Dunbar whose first-year coach, James Wray, took them to the program’s fifth 11th Region title in nine years and an undefeated regular season, fell to another undefeated team in the first round of the KHSAA Boys’ State Soccer Tournament on Saturday with a 1-0 loss to Ryle.
Ryle’s Winston Rogers scored the game’s only goal at the 20:35 mark of the second half to advance the Raiders (16-0-0) to a quarterfinal matchup at Boyle County at 7 p.m. Saturday. Boyle County defeated Montgomery County 1-0 Saturday.
Ryle has only allowed three goals all season with 13 shutouts. Their 10 consecutive shutouts to start the season are tied for the third-best streak in Kentucky high school soccer history.
Also winning in Saturday’s first round were: Ashland Blazer, 4-1 over Perry County Central; Corbin, 5-2 over Prestonsburg; Daviess County, 1-0 over McCracken County; North Oldham, 2-0 over Butler; and St. Xavier, 3-0 over Elizabethtown. South Warren automatically advanced over Henderson County due to the Colonels having to be quarantined for a suspected COVID-19 contact.
The boys’ tournament continues at regional sites Monday with Thursday’s semifinals and Saturday’s finals in Lexington.
Monday
State tournament quarterfinals
All games start at 7 p.m. local time unless noted
Games listed in bracketed order
▪ Lexington Catholic at West Jessamine
▪ North Laurel at Russell
▪ Owensboro Catholic at Greenwood
▪ Sacred Heart at Simon Kenton
▪ St. Xavier vs. North Oldham (at South Oldham, 8 p.m.
▪ Corbin at Ashland Blazer
▪ Ryle at Boyle Co.
▪ Daviess Co. at South Warren
This story was originally published October 25, 2020 at 2:08 AM.
