Daviess County shut out Ohio County 3-0 to win the Girls’ 3rd Regional Championship. Both the Lady Panthers and the Lady Eagles had multiple players be named to the 3rd Region All-Tournament team.
The players from both teams included:
- Paige Brandon- Ohio Co.
- Skye Vender- Ohio Co.
- Emily Goff- Ohio Co.
- Mia Griffith- DCHS
- Jessie Harwood- DCHS
- Mackenzie Elliott- DCHS
- Molly Floyd- DCHS
The game was exactly what would be expected from a regional championship. The high stakes of the match brought out the intensity and physicality on the ball from both teams. With both teams sharing about equal possession on the ball as well as looks on goal, a keeper mistake brought about the first goal of the game.
With ten minutes left in the first half, Kate McCain was able to beat Ohio’s rushing goalkeeper to a loose ball, and she dribbled around the keeper to pass the ball into the net. McCain led the team offensively throughout the game by scoring two goals as well as having an assist.
After the first goal, Ohio increased pressure on the ball and gave the Lady Panthers little time to think. Lady Panthers midfielder Lillian Coombs said the first goal also eased their nerves, so they were more prepared to deal with the mounting on-ball pressure by the Lady Eagles.
“The nerves kind of shook off a bit,” she said. “Then we started getting into our game by finding feet and moving the ball up the field. I think we just started playing a lot harder because that first five minutes after a goal are the most important. It could go either way for either team.”
DCHS’s midfield and defense held out with their accurate passing and hustle on defense to hold onto the 1-0 lead at the halftime whistle. Their main threat was Emily Goff who is Ohio’s top scorer. Coombs said that Goff was tough to keep up with due to her speed, but the defense shut her down and prevented her from scoring in the match.
Early into the second half, Molly Floyd nearly extended the lead with a powerful shot that hit off of the crossbar.
DCHS played the beginning of the second half defensively while looking for a counter attack. The counter attacks paid off when McCain played a low cross into the box that found the feet of Bailey Brown who tapped the ball into the goal.
Kate McCain scored her second goal similar to the first. The goalkeeper rushed off her for the ball, but McCain collided with the goalkeeper and was able to track down the ball first and pass it into an open net to make the final score 3-0.
Just like in this championship game, the Lady Panthers have had multiple people step up and perform throughout the season to help them get to the postseason, according to head coach David Sandifer.
“Evelyn’s our leading scorer, but when she went out Maddison Purcell did a really good job,” he said. “We have five girls in double figures. It’s not like we’re relying on one person to do this. When we sub in with Nikki Velazquez and Ainslie Dant they do a really good job. Jasey Stearsman comes in and plays hard. We’ve had contributions from a lot of people all year. Amal Kalik has a couple really big goals for us as well.”
This win marked Sandifer’s seventh regional title with the Lady Panthers. The team also celebrated the program’s 400th win earlier this season after winning against Apollo on September 12.
“Of course, I’m proud, but I’m also proud of the 150 girls that contributed to that over the last 30 years,” Sandifer said. “There’s a lot of girls that have put themselves out there to get that done. We’ve had a lot of good girls and good parents.”
