It was heartbreak for the Henderson County boys’ soccer team on Thursday night, as they lost 2-1 to University Heights Academy in extra time during the second region championship.
“I was really happy with the guys’ play in the district and region tournament,” said head coach Benson Pryor. “I thought we played really well on Thursday night and just came up on the wrong end of the score line, which, you know, happens in soccer probably more than it does in other sports.”
Hopes were high for Henderson after dominating performances in the first two rounds of tournament play hosted at Colonel Field. In the first round, the Cols blanked Lyon County, 8-0, ending the game with 9:07 left due to the mercy rule. The second round brought another commanding victory, 7-1, over Hopkinsville, setting up the thrilling championship match.
“Going into the game, we were really confident. The offense was playing well and our defense was not giving up a bunch of goals,” said forward Alex Bowley.
In the final game, it was UHA who struck first though. After nearly 35 minutes of scoreless soccer, junior Jack Cavanah was able to score amid the chaos in front of the goal giving the Blazers a 1-0 halftime lead. Goalkeeper Aaden Bugg also left the game, sustaining an injury on the play.
“We had full confidence that we could score a couple goals that would be needed to win the game,” said Pryor of his team’s mindset at the half.
Zehn Hazelwood would calm the nerves of Henderson soccer fans shortly into the second half with a 43rd-minute goal. Bowley was able to maneuver himself free and launch a shot from the left side. UHA’s goalkeeper deflected the chance, but Hazelwood was there to stick the ball into the back of the net to tie the score at 1-1.
From that point forward, the score would remain the same as both defenses would stand strong for the rest of the half and the first five-minute extra period.
At the 3:21 mark of the second golden-goal extra period, junior Cal Givens would put an end to Henderson’s great postseason run. The Cols committed a foul, setting up Givens for a free kick just outside the right corner of the box. Givens placed a perfectly-struck ball into the top left corner of the goal, just over the outstretched fingertips of backup goalie Jacopo Mazzini, ending the game and the Cols’ season with a 2-1 defeat.
“We kind of knew what they like to do on their free kicks; play it in and get one on a header. We set the wall, with marking on the backside and he just hit it perfectly,” said Bowley of the deciding goal.
Henderson had four players earn All-Region honors in Bowley, Bugg, Miles Pryor, and Lincoln Black.
In what was an up-and-down season, Henderson County finished with a 10-11-0 record. They were led by Bowley who collected 27 goals and five assists. Pryor, a junior, had a team-high 10 assists, with six goals. Another junior, Hazelwood, finished with seven goals and five assists. The Cols will lose 10 seniors going into next year.
“I really think we’ll have another strong team and will be competing for a spot in our 10th straight region championship game and I think we’ll have a chance to win the region,” said Coach Pryor about next season.
