After a little change in formation, Hunter Clark made the most of his new position by sending Daviess County to their sixth consecutive state tournament.
Clark — normally a left forward — switched to the right side in overtime before scoring the game-winner with 1:18 left in the extra period for a 2-1 victory over Owensboro in Thursday’s 3rd Region boys’ soccer championship at Owensboro Catholic’s Independence Field.
The play was simple enough. Hayden Boswell pushed up the middle of the field and sent the ball to Clark, who was moving in from the right side.
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For a full photo gallery from the game, click here.
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“We worked the ball up. I looked up, then I got a cramp. I looked at the far post and shot it,” Clark said.
And it all stemmed from a gut feeling by head coach Doug Sandifer after regulation ended with the teams tied 1-1.
“It was just a gut feeling I had, and my assistant coaches were on board with it,” Sandifer said. “I thought (OHS) knows what we’re trying to do on the left with them, so let’s mix it up. (Clark) cut in, got a ball, went to the inside on his left foot and got a shot off. We’re fortunate the move paid off and he was in the right place at the right time to get a shot on goal.”
Owensboro head coach Ryan Haley said the move made the difference in the game.
“He does a good job on his left foot,” Haley said. “He drifted towards the middle and our back was afraid to follow him and leave bare space. He found some room and got the shot off.”
The entire DC team rushed to the sideline to celebrate yet another region title, joining a fanbase that packed the stands and lined the fence from one goal line to the other.
During regulation, a thrilling battle went much the same as the last two meetings — both of which were decided in double overtime, with each team claiming one victory.
The Panthers (18-2-2) were the first to strike in Thursday’s title game when Clark’s corner kick sailed into the box, and Jacob Boling was able to convert on a header near the back post midway through the first half.
DC had a dozen more corner kicks but weren’t able to put any in the net.
“We told them going in that we would get corner kicks,” Sandifer said. “We were putting them in dangerous spots. I felt like we should have maybe had another goal, but we just didn’t get on the end of it.”
The equalizer for the Red Devils (17-6-2) came three minutes after halftime on a free kick. Andrew Saltsman barely touched the ball to put it in play, and Grayson McFarland smashed a shot that snuck in from 30 yards out.
“I knew it was going to be a battle all the way,” Sandifer said. “It’s just another game that could have gone either way between two very evenly matched teams. We were fortunate to come out on top.”
On the heels of an overtime win over OHS in the 9th District tournament championship, Sandifer said the key for the Panthers was to stay focused in the extra periods.
“My main thing in overtime is to be calm,” he said. “You still want to be aggressive, but you don’t want to freak out and play panicked. You have to be calm and you have to be composed, take advantage of the chances you get.”
Haley was disappointed with a loss but looked back at the season with great pride. According to him, Owensboro’s 17 wins this year is the most in program history.
“I’m absolutely proud of our guys,” he said. “They executed the game plan and they played hard. They gave everything they could. At the end of the day we fell short, but it doesn’t take anything away from their accomplishments.”
Daviess County moves on to next week’s semi-state game. They’ll play the winner of Friday’s Region 2 championship between Henderson County and Madisonville-North Hopkins. The Panthers beat each of those two during the regular season.
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2019 soccer coverage is presented by Worth Insurance Group.
