On Tuesday, the Hopkinsville defense was up to the task, using an offside trap to keep hosts Marshall County at bay, but the Tigers struggled to generate much offense in a 1-0 defeat.
The Tigers are off to an 0-2 start, albeit against stiff competition, with nine days until they go back on the road for a matchup with Webster County.
Hoptown pushed its defense up high in the first half and repeatedly caught the Marshals offside to keep the game scoreless at the break. Tiger goalkeeper Kenneth McMickens was called on to make four saves in the opening 40 minutes.
The Marshals found the breakthrough early in the second half when Logan Davis scored on a header off a corner kick. Most of the action was in the middle of the field the rest of the way, with the Marshals maintaining possession and the Tigers looking for the quick counter.
Marshall County nearly doubled the advantage with ten minutes to play. A shot from distance struck the crossbar, and Hoptown’s Jayden Bennett came out of nowhere with the goal open to clear the Marshals’ second attempt off the line.
As the final minutes elapsed and Hopkinsville continued to push for the equalizer, the Tigers took advantage of some sloppiness in the Marshall defense to carve out a chance. However, the Tigers’ shot sailed over the crossbar, and they didn’t threaten again.
Marshall County wins its opener for the twelfth year in a row and will look to move to 2-0 when the Marshals face Mayfield in a 2nd-District clash on Thursday.
