Tonight at 6 pm at Owensboro Catholic High School, the boys’ soccer 9th District Tournament will kick off with top-seeded Owensboro taking on Apollo. Immediately after, hosts Owensboro Catholic will play Daviess County for a spot in the District Championship.
The Red Devils enter the tournament with a 14-2 record and finished district play 6-0. On the season they scored 72 goals, good for 16th most in the state. Peter Mbayo (22 goals, 9 assists), Denis Juma (19 goals, eight assists), and Jackson Sigler (14 goals, 13 assists) have been the team’s primary playmakers, combining for 140 of the team’s 194 points.
While those three have led the offensive attack, the Red Devils’ midfield and defense have suffocated opponents and are arguably the backbone of the team. They have helped limit opponents to only 20 goals, good for 1.1 goals per game. Kaleb Davidson has been a brick wall in goal, allowing 18 goals and recording 59 saves.
“We are looking at this game as if it’s just the next match on the schedule,” Owensboro Head Coach Ryan Haley said. “We want our guys relaxed yet focused in order to play our very best Monday night. Apollo has some good players who work very hard to minimize scoring opportunities. For us, we need to stay relaxed and take what the game gives us.”
The Eagles lost to Owensboro to start the season 5-0, and narrowly fell to them 4-3 in their second meeting. A relatively young team, Utukufu Lukulula, leads the Eagles in points (22) and goals (9) and is tied for second for assists alongside Francesco Alvarez with four.
Jason Palacios Perez has tallied a team-high 10 assists and Ahmad Hanafi is second on the team in points with 17. The sophomore scored two of his seven goals this season against the Red Devils. Freshman Nolan Perkins has been tested in net, recording 107 saves.
“What we know for sure is that our district is always going to be a tough matchup no matter who it is,” Apollo Head Coach Nikos Agisilaou said. “Owensboro is always a tough matchup in general. They can do so much and are a dangerous team. We have to be ready to go from the whistle. Our boys have really improved from the first game of the year, and they are really starting to figure things out. I hope we can put a full 80 minutes together and see where that gets us.”
The Panthers enter the tournament as the two seed, with four players who recorded 14+ points in Saw Mu (10 goals, five assists), Taylor Hoak (seven goals, five assists), Silas Goebel (five goals, four assists), and Gabe Sandefur (2 goals, 10 assists). Cooper Payne and Noah Mason split time in goal, combining for 85 of the team’s 91 saves.
Daviess County Head Coach Dale Armistead acknowledged that he has been pleased with his team’s recent week of training heading into the tournament.
“We know Monday will be a very tough match,” Armistead said. “We also know Owensboro Catholic will be ready and that losing this game means the end of the season. The Aces took us all the way to penalties when we played them a few weeks ago, so we are aware of how dangerous they can be, especially when they are on their home turf.”
The Tournament hosts, Owensboro Catholic’s offense, has operated by committee, with six different players recording 10+ points. Andrew Bailey has scored 12 of the team’s 52 goals, while Owen Brey is responsible for 11 of the team’s 42 assists. Jace Obermeier has been the team’s primary goalie, recording 47 saves across 16 games. Max Dawson has also spent 10 games in goal, stopping 16 shots and pitching four shutouts.
“We are excited for the game, and we know it will be a tough match against a good team,” Owensboro Catholic Head Coach Andy Donohoe said. “We will have to stick together throughout the performance and show the quality that we have. Hosting the tournament gives the boys extra motivation. They are really up for it and are looking forward to the challenge.”
