‘We’re the best we’ve been.’ LexCath earns redemption as 11th Region girls soccer champs.
In 40 years of coaching high school soccer, Lexington Catholic’s Terry Quigley has suffered a few losses that have stuck with him. The 2023 11th Region girls championship, when the Knights fell to Madison Central in penalty kicks, was certainly one of them.
“Last year was a nightmare,” Quigley said. “We missed one PK in regulation, another one with 10 seconds left in overtime. And then we went to PKs, and we missed all three of our PKs. So it was over like that, it was so weird. Leaving, getting in the car, I think I was numb.”
It mattered to his team that, this year, history would not repeat itself. Both for its coach, whose birthday just so happened to fall on Saturday’s 11th Region championship game rematch, and for the players themselves. Senior Izzy Skinner said the game plan was to attack first and early — and that’s exactly what the Knights (19-2-4) did, scoring three goals in the first half of a 3-0 victory against Madison Central. This is Lexington Catholic’s fifth region tournament title in six seasons.
“We definitely knew we had to finish early if we wanted to get this game under our belt,” Skinner said. “And so that’s what we did the first half. Struggled a bit the second half but got it under us and just made sure we finished this game out and came out with a different turnout than last season.”
Per the KHSAA, Madison Central (15-5-1) entered Saturday’s game with the No. 28 scoring margin in the state, having scored 3.5 goals per game. Quigley noted just how much respect he and the Knights have for Madison Central, which defeated Lafayette — a team that took Lexington Catholic to overtime last week — by way of penalty kicks in the 11th Region Tournament semifinals.
“Last year it was really hard,” Quigley said. “And (Madison Central) deserved it because they kept us out. I mean, we pounded and pounded and pounded, but we never could get a goal in. And that’s what we were worried about this year. So that first goal, really, all of a sudden, I thought, ‘Oh my God, maybe this won’t be as bad as I thought it was.’”
Skinner and fellow senior Sara-Kate Barnes, two of the Knights’ top three goal scorers this season, accounted for the Knights’ goals — the first, a quick, early point by Barnes, and the second and third compliments of Skinner.
“Those two together are really a great, great pair,” Quigley said. “Because they work off each other. They always look for each other. So we’re very fortunate.”
Skinner and Barnes’ synergy and leadership, important markers for the relatively younger Lexington Catholic squad, hit an impressive peak with the second goal of the game; Barnes, rushing towards the right side of the goal, took advantage when Madison Central’s attention was focused on her and dished it to Skinner for the easy score.
“I was down on the right side,” Barnes said. “And they always tell us to take it down the line and cut it back, and Izzy was there and finished it.”
“Definitely been working on that connection all season up top,” Skinner said.
That connection is just one example of how the Knights have regrouped and responded this season. Anna Kate DeMovellan, the 11th Region Tournament MVP winner, said the team’s chemistry — which has now paved the way for 16 shutouts this season — is a testament to how close the roster really is.
“We’re a younger team,” DeMovellan said. “We have a lot of younger players who start. But this year, we’ve really gotten closer, and we’re the best we’ve been.”
The Knights, who rank fourth in the state in team defense (just 13 goals allowed), have seven underclassmen — freshman Harper Ward and sophomores Ryan Cornelius, Lily Crist, Maggie Meegan, Addie Nowlin, Emme Peterson and the lightning-quick Lily Knopp. They’re players who Quigley said “come in and just change the tempo sometimes, and it’s just so much fun.” Though it shouldn’t be a surprise, given Lexington Catholic’s sustained success, Quigley celebrated that the Knights always have strong talent on junior varsity, even if they’re not yet on his radar.
“We’re very lucky,” Quigley said. “It’s like having a transfer come in, even though they’re always in school, they came in and they just lit it up. They just do it, and that’s why we get shutouts.”
Lexington Catholic will face 9th Region champion Highlands (15-5-4) in Fort Thomas on Monday in the first round of the KHSAA State Tournament. This will be the second meeting between the Knights and the Bluebirds this season; Lexington Catholic won 1-0 on Sept. 10 in Lexington. The Knights are 2-1 against the Bluebirds in their last three postseason meetings, with two of those ending in penalty kicks.
11th Region All-Tournament Team
Maddi Merryweather, Frederick Douglass; Kaleigh Curry, Frankfort; Carlie Hechemy, Madison Southern; Kaylee Tyson, Great Crossing; Ileanna Wilson, Lafayette; Kennedy Crovo, Lafayette; Natalie Hoten, Henry Clay; Madelyn McGuire, Henry Clay; Abigail Moore, Madison Central; Kendall Clines, Madison Central; Natalie Knecht, Madison Central; Sara-Kate Barnes, Lexington Catholic; Izzy Skinner, Lexington Catholic; Josey Cox, Lexington Catholic. MVP: Anna Kate DeMovellan, Lexington Catholic.
