Battling the emotions of senior night, Owensboro Catholic Head Coach Andy Donohoe believed his team’s first half was a bit more ceremonial than it should have been. Yet, Luke Pfeifer and Jaxyn Rundall both scored to give the Aces a 2-0 halftime lead.
After addressing his team to calm down and to put the senior night ceremony behind them, the Aces responded with six second-half goals in their 8-0 shutout win over Grayson County.
“Senior night can always be one of those where the occasion takes over, and the mental side can go away from it,” Donohoe said. “I thought we were a little bit more business-like in the second half. We were still able to get a lot of people time and get those seniors who have been with us for years and years, time to play.”
Familiar with the Cougars’ defensive style from last year’s matchup, the Aces entered last night knowing they would have to move the ball quickly to find chances behind them.
The plan worked, with JW Kurtz, Curtis Watts, Mason Hardesty, Owen Moss, and Landon Condor all scoring in the second half. Isaac Self, Kurtz, Condor, Rundall, Hardesty, and Brey all recorded assists, while Jace Obermeier and Max Dawson both split time in net, recording a save each.
The second half saw the Aces make multiple significant line changes, culminating in the lead continuing to expand. Donohoe credited his team’s second-half success to them sticking to their system, which is ingrained in the players’ DNA.
“We’re putting younger guys in and they still know what is expected of them,” Donohoe said. “They may not play the physicality of the game or the technical ability yet, but they are building towards that. They need time to do that against varsity teams. I think they did a good job.”
Moving forward, the Aces have two games remaining against Allen County-Scottsville and Foundation Christian Academy before the 9th district tournament begins in early October.
