The local girls’ soccer season kicked off Tuesday night with a pair of 9th District matchups. Daviess County rolled to a 7-0 victory over Owensboro, while Owensboro Catholic similarly recorded a 5-0 victory over Apollo.
Daviess County 7, Owensboro 0
The Lady Panthers started the game with high pressure right out of the gate. Junior Lillian Coombs, sophomore Mary Evelyn Wiman and senior Nikki Velazquez all scored one goal each in the first 15 minutes to make the score 3-0. As the first half moved on Owensboro found some footing to hold their ground defensively against Daviess County’s high pressure.
Just before the halftime whistle, DCHS junior Kate McCain found herself open for a shot inside the top of the penalty box. The shot barely tipped off the goalkeeper’s glove and bounced through to give the Lady Panthers a 4-0 lead at halftime.
The Lady Panthers controlled the tempo for much of the second half with tight-knit passing. That led to chances for McCain and sophomore Bailey Brown, who both converted.
The Lady Devils broke through the Daviess County defense for a few breakaway opportunities but could not find the back of the net.
The final goal came off a cross by Coombs to junior Amal Kalik, who was met with a physical Lady Devils defense. Kalik managed to create enough space to side-step the goalkeeper and slotted the ball into the net.
Kalik said their team chemistry helped keep the passing at a high level and caused problems for OHS.
“A lot of the players on our team have been playing with each other since they were young, so already our chemistry is great,” she said. “That helped us win the game.”
That, plus playing to one another’s strengths, are what senior Mia Griffith attributed to Daviess County’s level of defensive play.
“We’re all strong in the defense and we all talk to each other to know who is where,” she said.
In her first game as Owensboro’s head coach, Sarah Poole saw many positives despite the scoreline. She said Daviess County is a tough first game to go into mentally for Owensboro, but her team showed up ready to play.
“I think when you look at it, at least 40 minutes of that game they were putting a lot of good plays together and I think we have a lot to work off of,” she said.
Poole said she is excited to play Daviess County again to get a sense of her team’s progression.
“It’s always fun to see how you progress from the first time you play them to the last time you play them,” she said.
Owensboro Catholic 5, Apollo 0
Owensboro Catholic was successfully able to break down Apollo’s defense early in the game, netting four goals in the first half en route to a 5-0 win.
In the second half, the E-gals limited the number of accurate shots on goal the Lady Aces were able to produce.
OCHS got two goals from freshman Chloe Marston, plus goals from seniors Jahaira Ward, Ginny Young, and freshman Peyton Reid. Young also had an assist, senior Annie Howard had two, and senior Elizabeth Hayden had one.
With the first game of the season complete, Owensboro Catholic head coach Andy Hines sees areas to improve on for his team.
“[We’re] working on being more dynamic in the front and moving the ball quicker,” he said.
