A goal in the 73rd minute of play by sophomore Kandler Lindsey broke a 1-1 tie and propelled the Lady Cougar soccer team to a 2-1 win over Breckinridge County in the opening round of Monday evening’s 11th District Tournament, being contested at Butler County.
These two teams had played twice during the regular season and the Lady Cougars had dominated both games, winning 5-0 at Breck in August, then taking a 4-0 win at the Cougar soccer field in September. This time, however, the Lady Tigers were a different team and basically outplayed Grayson County in everything but the score.
The first half ended in a 0-0 tie as the two teams battled in the midfield for possession of the ball. Breck seemed to be getting all the 50/50 balls and kept applying pressure in the Lady Cougar end.
Despite having Breck dominate in possession, the Lady Cougars had the best scoring chance in the final minute of the first half. Sophomore Bailey Snyder gained possession of the ball just outside the six-yard box and sent a whistling shot toward the goal. Lady Tiger goalie Abby Shannon was able to knock the shot down, then gain control to turn Snyder away.
The Lady Tigers kept up the pressure at the start of the second half and five minutes in made it pay off with a goal in the 45th minute. Working just outside the six-yard box, junior Bailey Caster sent a perfect crossing pass to junior Kara Wall, whose shot from about 10 yards out beat Lady Cougar goalie, Laura Vincent, to put Breck in front 1-0.
With the Lady Tigers fans and bench players going crazy, the Lady Cougars faced adversity for the first time in the series between the two teams. It seemed to wake them up.
Just seven minutes later, the Lady Cougars threatened the Breck goal. Freshman Gillian Johnston brought the ball straight up the middle and passed it left to senior Keisha Dennis, who sent a shot that clanged off the left upright. Though Johnston was knocked down after the pass, the referee somehow saw fit to charge her with a foul.
Two minutes later, the Lady Cougars got the equalizer. Awarded a corner kick, senior Lexi Logsdon sent a low sizzler into the box, where Dennis was waiting, She was able to one-time it past Shannon to knot the score at 1-1.
The score stayed that way until the 73rd minute, when Dennis brought the ball into the Lady Tiger end down the left side. She sent a crossing shot that eluded Shannon, but banged off the far post and back onto the field. After the ball was kicked around a couple of times, Lindsey was able to get a foot to it and send it into the back of the net for what turned out to be the winning goal.
With the win, the Lady Cougars advanced to the championship game, where they will face top-seeded Meade County. The Lady Waves easily advanced in Monday’s first game with a 10-0, mercy-rule victory over host Butler County. The championship game will be played on Thursday, Oct. 12 beginning at 6 p.m. at Butler County.
