Saturday evening wasn’t what Doug Sandifer had envisioned on the bus ride down to face Louisville Trinity on Saturday afternoon. With a final score of 3-0, the Daviess County boys’ soccer team lost for the first time this season.
After beginning the season with a pair of wins, the loss brings the Panthers’ record to 2-1 on the year.
In the contest, the Shamrocks jumped out early with a goal just under 12:00 into the first half. After a bouncing ball made its way into the Daviess County penalty box off of a throw-in in the attacking third, a deflection from a Trinity attacker rolled just past Panthers’ goalkeeper Cody Clark.
With 11:55 remaining in the first half, the Shamrocks added to their lead in the form of a cross by a Trinity forward, who slotted home past a diving Clark. The deficit continued for Daviess County as Trinity found the back of the net for one final time less than a minute later.
The lone DC chance from the first half came with 2:50 remaining on the clock when a long-range effort from freshman Eli Watkins drew crossbar and nearly bounced across the goal line.
“We settled in a little too late tonight after a rough start to the first half,” Sandifer said. “Our final ball wasn’t the best tonight, but we are still learning. I told the boys at halftime to try their best to work harder than their opponents and I felt like their effort at least equaled what Trinity put out there in the second half. So, credit to Trinity for being the best team we have faced so far this season, but I feel like we learned a lot and there is a lot to take away from this one.”
Though no goals were scored in the second half, Daviess County was able to stifle the attacking prowess of their counterparts, while also mustering a few half-chances on offense.
On a night where the Panthers did not walk away with a victory, sophomore playmaker Nate Dailey made waves with his fancy footwork in the midfield after being pushed forward from his starting defensive position in the second half.
“Nate is a midfielder playing defense right now out of necessity,” Sandifer said. “He is a young kid with a lot of talent and no moment is ever too big for him. The question for us right now comes down to what area we want a creative, skillful and aggressive player like him to be playing in for our team.”
Moving forward, Sandifer and the Panthers faithful will hope to ride the talent of a team just one year removed from a deep state tournament run as the young players continue to settle into new roles.
Up next for the Panthers is a home clash with Madisonville-North Hopkins on Tuesday night. That game is scheduled for 7 p.m.
