Tonight at 5:30 pm at Owensboro High School, the girls’ soccer 9th District Tournament will kick off with top-seeded Daviess County taking on Apollo. Immediately after, host Owensboro will play Owensboro Catholic for a spot in the District Championship.
The Lady Panthers finished district play 6-0, beating Apollo 6-0 and 8-0. Mary Evelyn Wiman has emerged as the team’s top playmaker, leading the Lady Panthers in goals (13), assists (10), and points (36). Four other players recorded 10+ points this season, including Bailey Brown (20), Bella Coombs (17), Molly Floyd (13), and Sasha Foster (11). Daviess County’s goalie, Kaelin Labhart, has been tough to score on, recording 92 saves and allowing 1.1 goals per game.
“At this point in the season, you know you’re going to get every team’s best game,” Daviess County Head Coach Paige Crisp said. “Apollo will likely defend with a lot of numbers, so the key for us will be to stay composed and finish the opportunities we get in the attacking third.”
The E-Gals enter tonight with all eyes on goalie Rebecca Jones. The senior has recorded 252 saves across 17 games and is averaging 14.8 saves per game. Millie Hill leads the team in goals (5) and points (10), while Dalleigh Sullivan has tallied a team-high three assists.
“This is a tall task ahead of us,” Apollo Head Coach Kevin Peveler said. “We are going to show up, compete, and see where we stand at the end of the game. We have improved as a team and will have to continue to improve to compete with a team with the talent of Daviess County.”
On the other side of the bracket, Owensboro Catholic enters as the two seed after finishing district play 4-2. They narrowly beat Owensboro early in the season, 2-1, before beating them 6-2 in September.
All eyes will be on the Lady Aces Allie Marston and Owensboro’s Lily Neiman. The two finished amongst the top 16 goal scorers in the state, and both broke their respective school records for goals in a season with 44 and 31.
Chloe Marston was second on the Lady Aces in goals (9) and points (26) and led the team in assists (8), while Scarlett Isenbarger (16), Jenna Brey (13), and Meredith Traylor (10) all recorded 10+ points. Felicity Payne has started all 20 games this season in goal, recording 72 saves and posting three shutouts.
Owensboro Catholic Head Coach Meg Patton ackolwedged that her team has been working on maintaining poissesion and utlizing their wings and forwards.
“We’ve done so much better here lately with possession and controlling the field,” Patton said. “We have to come ready to play on Tuesday, but our girls are ready to compete.”
Owensboro has caught fire down the stretch, finishing 4-2 over their last six games. In addition to her 31 goals, Nieman also tied Ella Hall for the team lead in assists with 18. Amelia Calhoun finished second on the team in goals (15), assists (13), and points (43), while Lilly Paige Early (32) and Adalynn Selby (12) both finished with 10+ points. Haley Sikes is the Lady Devils primary goalie, recording 107 saves across 20 games. She is also averaging 5.3 saves a game and only allowing 1.6 goals per game.
“We played two very different games against Catholic this season,” Owensboro Head Coach Sarah Poole said. “Neither of which were close to our “best game”. We have been playing very well, and I am excited about the momentum heading into Tuesday night. The girls are ready.”,
