‘It’s a fun group.’ Lexington Catholic captures fourth straight 11th Region soccer crown.
Lexington Catholic cruised to an 8-0 victory over Madison Central in the girls’ 11th Region Tournament soccer finals at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School on Saturday to claim the Knights’ fourth straight region title.
It was also Lexington Catholic’s 24th straight win. Their only loss came on opening day to Sacred Heart.
“They play hard every time out,” Lexington Catholic Coach Terry Quigley said of his Knights. “I don’t want to talk too much about it because we still have some soccer to play, but to this point they’ve achieved everything that they hoped.”
Now, LexCath (24-1-0) hopes to make its second state finals appearance in the last three years.
But the Knights face a much tougher road ahead, starting Monday in the first round of the state tournament against longtime northern nemesis Highlands out of the 9th Region. The Bluebirds won a PK shootout later Saturday against No. 4 Notre Dame, the defending state champions.
As the No. 2-ranked team in the Kentucky High School Athletic Association’s RPI rating system, Lexington Catholic gets to host its first-round game and would host its second-round game later this week if it survives. The state semifinals and finals will be held at Frederick Douglass High School next week.
Highlands (15-6-3) rates as the No. 31 team in the state according to the RPI, but is rated No. 7 by the Maher Rankings, a different computer model that seems to give much more weight to strength of schedule than winning percentage.
Highlands and LexCath were in each other’s way in the state tournament in both 2019 and 2020. Both matches went to penalty kick shootouts with the Knights winning the most recent.
Whoever makes it past Monday’s game won’t get much of a breather the rest of the way. The KHSAA’s blind draw created a bottom-heavy bracket that includes No. 1 South Oldham, last year’s state runner-up, and No. 8 Assumption on Lexington Catholic’s half of the 16-team field. No. 10 Bowling Green is there, too.
Luckily for the rest of the field, South Oldham and Assumption have to face each other in the first round. If the rankings hold as the games play out, though, the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the state would meet in the semifinals. LexCath has beaten Assumption twice this season. It has not faced South Oldham this year.
But first things first.
“It’s just one foot in front of the other as you go,” Quigley said. “I’m not thinking about the end and I never have, because it can always go south. … Anybody can win in any given game. I guess that’s what makes it fun. That’s what everybody should love about it.”
Saturday against Madison Central, LexCath took control early with three goals in less than 13 minutes. By halftime, Lexington Catholic led 7-0 on a hat trick by Mary Martin Hampton, a brace from Zara McCarthy and scores by Katherine Truitt and Joanna Bryant. Truitt tacked on another goal in the second half.
Quigley credits his team’s senior leadership and the tight-knit bond they all seem to have. He has 11 seniors in all with senior midfield starters Olivia Bretz (Central Michigan) and Katherine Truitt (Kentucky) having already announced Division I college commitments. Hampton, a senior forward who was named tournament MVP, leads the team with 33 goals on the season.
“The seniors bring talent for one thing. They bring quickness and strength and the ability to drive the ball,” Quigley said. “But what they’ve really done is they’ve accepted the younger kids and made it like a tight-knit group of friends. … It’s a fun group just to hang out with.”
All-tournament team
Mary Martin Hampton (MVP), Katherine Truitt, Olivia Bretz, Allie Nowlin, Lexington Catholic; Kallie Lloyd, Maddie Eads and Presley Lochmueller, Madison Central; Claire Cress and Sydney Hocker, Madison Southern; Kamri Smith, Brooklyn Couch, Great Crossing; Addison Kenny, Henry Clay; Aubrey Cloyd, Lafayette; Olivia Johnson, Frederick Douglass; and Amelia “Moe” Wells, Franklin County.
Monday’s game
Girls’ State Soccer Tournament First Round
Highlands (15-6-3) at Lexington Catholic (24-1-0), 7 p.m.
Complete bracket online: bit.ly/3SarmBr
This story was originally published October 16, 2022 at 12:07 AM.
