While the heat wouldn’t let anyone forget it was still August, the atmosphere felt more like October on Wednesday night at the Stadium of Champions, with the UHA Lady Blazers earning a hard-fought 1-0 win over Hopkinsville. The Lady Blazers got a early-season leg up in the 8th-District race, while also earning their first win of the season to move to 1-2. The Lady Tigers, playing without Ana Hernandez and Keeli Miles, see a three-game win streak snapped to stand at 3-2 overall.
The teams played a back-and-forth first half, with the Lady Tigers content to sit deep and look for counter-attack opportunities, while the Lady Blazers saw shots from outside the 18-yard box continually miss the mark.
After a scoreless first half, the Lady Tigers began to exert more pressure with about 10 minutes gone in the second half. However, when Hoptown failed to close down junior Molly Bennett, she made them pay with a 30-yard bomb that sailed into the top right corner over Hoptown goalkeeper Vy Nguyen’s outstretched arms.
The Lady Blazer defense would make the lone score stand up over the final 20 minutes, with goalkeeper Lainey Burman earning the shutout.
UHA has some time off before it returns to the field September 3 to face Crittenden County (0-3) in the All “A” Classic. The Lady Tigers will be on the road on Saturday for a match-up with the Murray High Lady Tigers.
