Girls’ soccer playoffs: First things first for contenders before tackling LexCath monster
Let’s put aside for a moment that No. 2 Lexington Catholic hasn’t lost since its first game Aug. 8 and looks exactly like the kind of team that should win its fourth consecutive 11th Region high school girls’ soccer championship.
In order for the other teams to climb that mountain, they must first tackle a few goals at lower elevations.
No. 14 Frederick Douglass has yet to win the 42nd District Tournament in its six-year history, for instance.
In the 43rd District, second-seeded No. 12 Lafayette is looking to make its third straight region appearance under Coach Taylor Roden. The Generals (10-6-1) have won four straight games and seven of their last nine after a bumpy start. Third-seeded LCA (10-7-2) hasn’t made a regional since 2010 when it went all the way to the state finals.
“For us the last few years, this is kind of the position that we were expecting to be in. So, we’re happy to have achieved this goal,” Roden said. “We’re hoping to take care of business and continue our run into the region.”
Douglass (15-3-2) took its lumps early as well, losing three of its first five games. The Broncos have since won 11 straight and gone unbeaten in their last 14.
“We knew there were going to be a lot of puzzle pieces to fit, and it’s taken a little bit, … but we’ve got a lot of younger kids stepping up,” Douglass Coach Megan Adkins said. “I think we’re going to hit our stride at the right time and that’s the most important part. The girls are working hard, and we’ve played a pretty good schedule.”
The district playoffs begin Sunday with play-in games in the 43rd District. The 42nd District kicks off Monday with both boys’ and girls’ brackets playing out at Great Crossing High School. Semifinals winners automatically advance to next week’s 11th Region Tournament. This story uses the latest Maher Rankings published last week.
Never easy for Douglass
Douglass has had quality teams each of the last two years, but missed out on making the district finals thanks to rival Sayre. Last year, the Spartans stunned the top-seeded Broncos in a district semifinals penalty shootout.
“I don’t want to say we’re too confident. We’ve had that before, but I like our chances,” Adkins said. “It’s a different team this year, a different vibe. Some of that past is kind of gone with that monkey on our shoulders.”
Haley Flynn, a junior transfer, and Maddie Merryweather, just a sophomore, head up the Broncos attack this season with 15 and 12 goals, respectively.
The Spartans (11-8-0), led by sophomore forward Katherine Monohan’s eye-popping 45 goals, must make it through Bryan Station (3-9-4) in the first round Monday to set up a Douglass rematch in the semis. Douglass topped Sayre 5-1 in the regular season.
On the other side of the 42nd bracket, Henry Clay (6-10-1) faces Scott County (8-7-2) in a rematch of a regular-season game the Blue Devils claimed on penalty kicks. Kelsie Hall leads the Cards with 15 goals. Henry Clay is led by Callie Bowles’ seven goals, followed by Reagan Spivey and Grace Plummer each with five.
Confidence boost for Lafayette
Of the seven 11th Region teams to face Lexington Catholic this season, Lafayette played the Knights the closest, losing 2-1 at LexCath on Sept. 12. That’s also the only goal Lexington Catholic has conceded in 11th Region play.
Against a team that always seems to be playing downhill into their opponents, that goal breathed some life into Lafayette.
“We learned that we can absolutely hang,” Roden said. “I think putting that goal in against them really changed the momentum. … Every year we go into that game feeling like the underdog. … It’ll be a challenge if we get there, but I think we go into it with just a different mentality.”
First Lafayette must take on probably the best LCA team in several years. The Eagles lost to the Generals 4-2 on Sept. 14, but looked dangerous. Marin Wills leads LCA with 13 goals.
“They’ve got speed and talent and, of course, Mike Fulton, is a very talented, very tactical coach,” Roden said. “They put two goals in against us in the regular season. We know if we let down our guard for a minute against LCA, we will not achieve our goal of getting to the region tournament.”
Lafayette has speed, too, with junior forward Lily Simpson leading the team in both goals (11) and assists (12). Aubrey Cloyd has 10 goals, Campbell Tippey, nine, and Grecia Martinez, eight.
The LexCath mountain
The numbers are scary. Lexington Catholic (19-1) has outscored its opponents 117 to 11. The Knights have five double digit goal scorers led by Mary Martin Hampton’s 27. Sara-Kate Barnes has 13, Olivia Bretz, 12, and Katherine Truitt and Izzy Skinner each have 11.
Lexington Catholic decimated the fledgling Kentucky 2A Championship midseason tournament, delivering 10-0 or better mercy rule wins in four games, including the quarterfinals, semifinals and finals of the event.
“They are just a really, really skilled and disciplined team. You don’t get that a lot of times with a whole group,” said Douglass’s Adkins, who was a player and assistant coach at Lexington Catholic before helping found the Douglass program.
Typically, soccer greatness comes in waves, Adkins said. Over the last decade or so, Tates Creek and Dunbar have swapped in as region champs amid all of LexCath’s success. Tates Creek even won a state title in 2012. LexCath has been to nine state finals over the years, but its only state crown came in 2002.
“I played there. I coached there. And it’s always been the mentality that soccer is very important there,” Adkins explained. “That’s part of it. It’s a big thing to play soccer at Lexington Catholic. Coach Quigley has built that program and they just keep going and going. They just reload. We’re fortunate to get good kids over here, too. But we don’t reload like they reload.”
42nd District Girls’ Soccer Tournament
At Great Crossing
Monday’s first-round game
6 p.m.: Sayre (11-8-0) vs. Bryan Station (3-9-4)
Tuesday’s semifinal
6 p.m.: Sayre-Bryan Station winner vs. Frederick Douglass (15-3-2)
Wednesday’s semifinal
6 p.m.: Henry Clay (6-10-1) vs. Scott County (8-7-2)
Thursday’s championship
6 p.m.: Semifinal winners meet
43rd District Girls’ Soccer Tournament
At Tates Creek
Sunday’s first-round game
2 p.m.: Tates Creek (5-11-0) vs. Paul Laurence Dunbar (7-6-4)
Monday’s semifinals
6 p.m.: Lafayette (10-6-1) vs. Lexington Christian (10-7-2)
8 p.m.: Tates Creek-Dunbar winner vs. Lexington Catholic (19-1-0)
Wednesday’s championship
6:30 p.m.: Semifinal winners meet
This story was originally published October 1, 2022 at 12:38 PM.
