An overturned throw-in call proved costly for the University Heights Academy girls’ soccer team, which was forced to settle for a 1-1 draw Friday in a home match against regional foe Madisonville-North Hopkins. Nearly one year after an epic showdown between the Blazers and Maroons that ended in a shootout in the 2nd Region Tournament semifinals, it seemed UHA was on the verge of taking down Madisonville for the second straight time.
After keeping MNHHS (3-4-2) off the board for 79 minutes at Givens Field, Heights appeared to be in position to control the ball and run some clock after being awarded a throw-in by the line judge. The call was reversed by the referee, however, leading to a Blazer foul and Madisonville penalty kick.
On the PK, UHA junior goalkeeper MacKenzie Young guessed correctly and sprung to her left, but Madisonville sophomore Lille Carmen knocked the ball just past the outstretched arms of Young, with a minute to go, sending the Blazers a tough-luck tie.
Young did finish the night with eight saves, thwarting four different corner kick attempts by the Maroons. She now has over 20 saves in five games played in the net this season.
University Heights controlled much of the first half and took a 1-0 advantage in the 22nd minute, when senior Grace Pape struck from 35 yards out on a free kick in front of the Madisonville bench. It was the 16th goal of the season and 53rd career score for Pape, who is seemingly in range from anywhere across midfield.
Pape nearly iced the game with 2:45 remaining in the contest off a laser-beam free kick that banged off the crossbar and back into play.
Fellow senior Kate Cansler, who also just missed a free kick goal in the second half, was held scoreless for just the second time in nine games. The Pape-Cansler duo has combined for 31 of UHA’s 49 goals in 2020.
Freshmen Audrey Grise and Anna Fourqurean also provided a lift for the UHA on offense, while junior Piper Hancock anchored a defense that came close to securing its fourth shutout in eight games.
Madisonville was without the services of junior striker Camyrn LaGrange against the Blazers. LaGrange, who notched a team-high 56 goals last season, reportedly tore her ACL and will likely miss the remainder of the soccer season. LaGrange is also a standout basketball player at MNHHS, averaging 16.2 points and 6.6 rebounds per game during the 2019-20 campaign.
Friday’s tilt was the fourth of six straight Heights home games to end the regular season. The Lady Blazers (5-2-1) are back on the pitch Oct. 5 against Caldwell County, and will host crosstown rival Hopkinsville at 6 p.m. Oct. 6, with the top seed in the 8th District on the line.
— Chris Jung
SCORE BY HALF
1H 2H
MNHHS (3-4-2) 0 1 — 1
UHA (5-2-1) 1 0 — 1
GOALS
UHA: 1H (22”), Grace Pape free kick
MNHHS: 2H (79”), Lillie Carmen penalty kick
