Hopkins County Central advanced to Wednesday’s 7th District championship game by blanking Caldwell County 3-0 in the boys’ semifinal in Mortons Gap on Monday.
Julio Rivera-Mena gave the Storm a 1-0 lead in the 21st minute when he stuck in a loose ball in front of the Caldwell net.
Both teams had multiple scoring chances in the first half, but Rivera-Mena was the only one who could find the back of the net.
The game remained a tight 1-0 contest until late, when Hopkins Central was awarded a goal when officials said the ball crossed the goal line even though Caldwell keeper Corbin Nichols appeared to make the save. That put the Storm up 2-0.
Another goal came in the final 2 minutes when a Storm corner kick was inadvertently put into the Caldwell net by a Tiger defender. That made it 3-0 and had the Storm well on its way to the championship round.
Hopkins Central’s defense was stout in the second half, rarely giving Caldwell a good look at the offensive end in the final 40 minutes.
Trevor Weldon was strong in the Storm net while Nichols also played well for Caldwell.
The Tigers end the season at 3-4-3.
Hopkins Central (5-6-1) advances to the 7th District championship game for the third-straight year. The Storm will take on Madisonville-North Hopkins (8-3-1) in Wednesday’s 6 p.m. title tilt.
The Maroons have won the last eight district championships.
Both Madisonville and Hopkins Central will play in the 2nd Region tournament next week at the Stadium of Champions in Hopkinsville.
