The Panthers have developed a mindset of striving to be the best team in Kentucky. That will be put to the test today when No. 3 Daviess County takes on No. 1 North Oldham — the last undefeated team — in the boys’ soccer state quarterfinals.
The Mustangs play host to the Panthers, with kickoff scheduled for 6 p.m. central time. Tickets must be purchased online in advance (click here to purchase).
Both teams have relied on stingy defense and depth across the field to put together two of the most impressive seasons of any boys’ soccer team this year.
Following their opening-round win Monday night, DC senior Carson Thomas said his team knew before the season began that they wanted to prove they were title worthy. That motivated them to perform at a high level every game.
“It’s definitely our work ethic in the preseason,” he said of the key to success. “We just have a mentality that we want to be the best so we practice like that, and then we come out to play like we’re the best team in the state.”
Head Coach Doug Sandifer said they guys have bought into the process that his staff has developed — one that’s proven itself with consistent postseason runs.
“We set up a game plan and I can’t remember a game yet that we’ve had a specific game plan they haven’t followed,” he said. “They’re a very coachable group, very likeable group. We set it up and they execute, and that I think has been a big key. We’ve changed how we’ve played game to game against different people and obviously some things have worked.”
The Panthers have gone 21-1-4, with the lone loss coming on Aug. 21 against Elizabethtown.
Sandifer said their depth has been instrumental. The team’s top goal scorers are Sean Higgs (16), Tanner Andersen (15), and Dax Sandifer (12), though another five players have at least five goals each — and seven more on top of that have netted at least one.
“We have a lot of depth and have been fortunate that we’ve for the most part stayed healthy throughout the season,” Sandifer said. “We can run 17-18 guys against teams.”
The Mustangs have a pair of draws to go along with 16 wins. They’ve won their last three games with final scores of 2-1 — including beating DuPont Manual in a shootout Tuesday to keep their season alive.
Samuel Murphy leads North Oldham with 12 goals. Three more players have at least five goals, and 12 more have at least one.
Neither team ranks in the top 30 in team scoring, but they each have top-10 defenses. North Oldham has allowed .7 goals per game and recorded nine shutouts; Daviess County has allowed .9 goals per game and held teams scoreless 12 times.
Thomas has been part of the DC program for years, so he’s gotten a taste of the postseason and said it’s become a tradition.
“It means so much to me and all the other seniors,” he said. “It’s our goal every year. We come out here and we plan from the beginning of the season to the end. We want to be ready to go win in the postseason. The older guys that graduated the past few years did a great job teaching us what it’s all about. I think that it’s really exciting to get to pass it on to the younger guys.”
