Eyeing Kate McCain sprinting down the left side of the pitch, Lady Panthers Bailey Brown lifted a perfect pass just over the defense’s head, right into her teammate’s path. Receiving the ball in stride, the senior dribbled into the box, picked a corner, and buried it into the back of the net for a 1-0 lead in the 59th minute. Turning to her awaiting teammates, McCain let out a joyous howl and instantly the Lady Panther’s nerves melted away.
“It was the best feeling in the world to finally get that first goal,” Lillian Coombs said. “It was like taking 50 pounds off.”
21 minutes later, Daviess County was regional champions, defeating Meade County 2-0 and securing their second straight regional title.
Despite entering the match as the reigning regional champions, the Lady Panthers stumbled early due to overwhelming nerves. They were unable to create many scoring chances, struggled to maintain possession for long stretches, and looked out of sync.
“There is an adrenaline rush regardless, even if we had a lot of confidence coming into this game,” senior Amal Kalik said regarding her team’s early nerves. “At the end of the day, it could be our last game which obviously put a lot of pressure on us as the four seniors to keep not only our season going, but also our underclassmen’s.”
Fighting off the nerves, the two teams entered halftime scoreless. Regrouping, the Lady Panthers pointed out that Meade County also came to play and wasn’t going to just roll over.
“We needed to calm down,” McCain said. “We hadn’t played Meade County and it’s the regional championship. That’s a big deal. It’s win or go home at this point. Tournament time, the nerves are just there.”
Refocused, the Lady Panthers passes finally woke up to start the second half. Their passes were crisper, finding open feat and keeping possession. In the 51st minute, the Lady Panthers pelted the opposing goalie, but back-to-back shots 30 seconds apart both narrowly sailed over the top.
Eight minutes later, McCain scored on her breakaway to end the scoreless tie. For the remaining 21 minutes, the Lady Panthers played stress-free, finally enjoying themselves.
“It was so much fun in the second half,” senior Molly Fuqua said. “The first half the nerves were so high, but it was so much fun in the second half.”
Mary Evelyn Wiman iced it for the Lady Panthers in the 66th minute, scoring in front of the net to make it 2-0. Daviess County finished with 23 shots, 14 of which were on goal.
“It feels great. We have worked so hard all season long for this moment,” McCain said. “It’s good to come out with a win and move on to state. It’s been a great season.”
Daviess County is scheduled to travel to Marshall County Monday evening for the first round of the state tournament. The two teams drew 1-1 earlier in the season and the girls are expecting another great game – but if they play the way they know they can, they like their chances.
