Daviess County and Owensboro defeated Apollo and Owensboro Catholic respectively to advance to the championship match in the district tournament. The two teams faced off last year in the championship when DCHS won the title 4-0 against Owensboro.
OHS 3, OCHS 0
Owensboro beat Owensboro Catholic 3-0 to send them to the district championship game and regional tournament. Both teams played with the intensity expected from an OHS-OCHS rivalry matchup. The Aces played a defensive game, but could not find enough opportunities on offense to keep up on the scoreboard.
Emmanuel Lichi opened the scoring with a shot from top of the arch for the first goal. Catholic played defensive and held off Owensboro for the rest of the first half. The Aces defense was solid, but they couldn’t make much happen off of the counter attack.
Owensboro extended the lead to 2-0 after they were awarded a penalty early into the second half. Arlo Johnson buried the penalty into the bottom left corner.
Owensboro controlled most of the second half, but Catholic had their share of opportunities. Those opportunities didn’t translate to shots on target, however. OCHS keeper Ben Dawson made multiple big saves in the second half to keep the Aces in the game.
Owensboro cemented the 3-0 win with a goal from Peter Saang from an assist by Sang Thang. The Red Devils outshot the Aces 31 to 1, and OHS head coach Ryan Haley said the conversion rate should be much higher if they are to win the district title.
“We’re happy to be able to continue, but we can’t play like that on Wednesday,” he said. “We’re going to have to be more elusive on the ball and stop sailing over the goal. Offensively, when you take 31 shots you should be making 10, and here we are with three.”
Aces head coach Andy Donohoe felt there was no lack of effort tonight from the team, but the way they handled the few chances they got on goal is what sealed the game.
“The effort was incredible, and we knew what we had to do in shortening the game,” he said. “We would push forward and commit near the end of the game, but circumstances changed early in the second half. Owensboro was outstanding. I think they’ll be a real danger to Daviess County in the finals. It’s going to be two great teams playing each other, so credit to those guys. We were outstanding in our effort, but with just a few chances you always wonder if you could convert one of them then maybe something different would’ve happened. That’s the nature of sports.”
OCHS finished the season with an overall record of 8-10.
DCHS 6, AHS 0
Daviess County beat Apollo 6-0 and cemented their spot in the district championship as well as the regional tournament.
Gabe Sandefur led the scoring for the Panthers with two goals. Also on the scoresheet was Sam Glover with one goal and one assist, Jack Quisenberry with one goal, Carter Payne with one goal and two assists and Ethan Allen with one goal. The final goal on the tally was an own goal by Apollo. Saw Mu had an assist as well.
Despite the result, DCHS head coach Doug Sandifer felt his team did not perform the best they could on offense due to the lack of experience for some of the younger players.
“We missed a few pretty close range shots by shooting them over,” he said. “In the first half we left a couple out there that we should have put away, but then again we’re dealing with guys who some of them are playing in their first district tournament. I’m sure they were a little nervous and wanting to perform well, and maybe that made them play a little tight. They got that behind them, so hopefully they’ll play a little bit looser and more confident in the next game.”
Apollo finished this season with an overall record of 5-13. This game also concluded Apollo head coach Nikos Agisilaou’s first season with the team. Prior to joining the Eagles, Agisilaou was an assistant coach for Madisonville’s soccer team alongside his brother Christakis Agisilaou who is currently head coach. This season was memorable for Agisilaou despite hardships he faced, he said.
“This year was a special year even though we struggled,” he said. “These guys have meant a lot to me this past year with how much of a struggle it was for me. I lost my mom back in October, and it has been a transition for me and my family. These kids are humble and put life into perspective. They have been special to me. There have been ups and downs in our season just like in life, but our boys have stuck with it. We have made goals for the season, and we met some and failed to meet some. We played some great opponents. Our boys come from a variety of places, shapes and sizes who know four to five languages between them all. None more valuable than the next. I learned some things from these boys with their humbleness throughout the season. Great group of kids to work with honestly. Even though sometimes it could be a struggle, I’ve enjoyed my first year.”
