‘This is it.’ Lexington Catholic avenges losses to Dunbar with region title win
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- Lexington Catholic rebounded to defend region title with a 2-0 win over Dunbar.
- Joanna Bryant scored both goals, one from open play and one deflected free kick.
- LexCath advances to the 2025 state tournament and will host Bishop Brossart Tuesday.
Lexington Catholic’s girls soccer program doesn’t lose much. When they do, it’s historic because of how dominant the Knights have been over the past two decades in the 11th Region.
Paul Laurence Dunbar made history twice this season against LexCath, helping the Bulldogs rise to the online Rundell Rankings’ No. 4 team in the state heading into their rematch with No. 3 Lexington Catholic in the region finals on Saturday.
First, with a 4-1 win on Sept. 17, the Bulldogs broke the Knights’ 46-game unbeaten streak against Lexington teams and a 36-game win streak against their 43rd District rivals. Then, last week, Dunbar’s 1-0 district final win ended Lexington Catholic’s five-year reign in the 43rd. All those marks dated to 2019.
But on Saturday, the Knights (19-4-1) got themselves back on track with a pair of goals from senior forward Joanna Bryant for a 2-0 win at Scott County High School to defend their region crown and head back to the state tournament.
“Dunbar is such a good team that we could have played this game again and lost it,” Lexington Catholic coach Terry Quigley said. “The bounces went our way, and Jo was terrific and Bella (Bretz) held us together with our back line.
“The last time we played, it was their day. This was our day. We’re just lucky it falls on the region final.”
A steady southern breeze was at the Knights’ back in the first half, but neither team made much headway until Bryant ran onto a looping pass from midfield and one-touched a strike off the crossbar and into the net from just inside the 18-yard box with 18:52 left until the break.
Dunbar (19-3-1) generated more possession and more chances with the wind in the second half, but a foul call just outside the box with 21:07 left in the game set up Bryant with a free kick and a chance to double the Knights’ lead.
“I was like, ‘This is the moment. This is it. This has to go in to really seal the deal.’” said Bryant, who earned tournament MVP honors. “We knew Dunbar was a good team, so we had to really take every chance that we had to put it in the back of the net.”
Bryant’s shot took a deflection through Dunbar’s wall, but stayed on frame and banked off the right post and into the goal for the final margin.
With only two seniors set to graduate from this year’s team, Dunbar seems poised to make more championship runs in the coming years. Next year’s starting lineup could include everyone but keeper Joliet Alexander.
Dunbar coach Jeff Stone acknowledged the Bulldogs exceeded expectations in his first season. Dunbar hadn’t made the region tournament since 2018.
“I’m going to tell them they can hold their heads high because they overachieved all season long,” Stone said. “It was a dream run. … They worked hard. They did everything I asked them to do, and we just fell one game short.”
Lexington Catholic returns to the state tournament despite losing four of last season’s starters to offseason knee injuries and graduating the rest, excluding Bretz in goal.
Bretz suffered a knee injury as well, but returned at midseason in a part-time role and got the complete-game shutout on Saturday.
“When I first tore my ACL, I was told I wasn’t going to be able to play. And to work and to come back and to be here and to win the region championship is literally everything,” Bretz said. “It makes all the work so worth it.”
Lexington Catholic will make its ninth state tournament appearance in 11 years when it hosts No. 5 Bishop Brossart, the 10th Region champions, at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the first round. The tournament draw gives LexCath home-field advantage in the second round, too, if they advance. The semifinals will be held Oct. 29 at Paul Laurence Dunbar. The finals are scheduled Nov. 1 at LSC Stadium.
All-region tournament team
Joanna Bryant (MVP), Ryan Cornelius, Bella Bretz and Lily Knopp, Lexington Catholic; Emerson Stone, Layla Flynn and Mariana Gonzalez, Paul Laurence Dunbar; Ella Flynn and Anna Adkins, Frederick Douglass; Molly Spalding and Adrienne Reed, Henry Clay; Cecelia Luteyn, Madison Central, Julia Baker, Great Crossing; Kaleigh Curry, Frankfort; Alexis Robertson, Madison Southern.
Next game
KHSAA State Tournament First Round
Tuesday: Bishop Brossart (20-2-3) at Lexington Catholic (19-4-1), 7 p.m.
This story was originally published October 18, 2025 at 6:30 PM.
