While it won’t completely erase the pain of last season’s shootout loss to Caldwell County in the 2nd-Region semifinals, the UHA boys’ soccer team enjoyed some measure of revenge on Saturday when they knocked off the Tigers in the same manner to claim the region’s All ‘A’ championship.
The Blazers claim the title for the third straight season and improve to 4-2 overall. The defeat leaves Caldwell at 1-1-1 to start the year.
UHA looked to be set for an early lead when Matt Hauret was fouled in the box inside the first 30 seconds of the match, but Preston Thomas’ penalty kick was off the mark to give Caldwell a reprieve.
The Blazers enjoyed most of the possession in the first half, but both teams carved out good chances. Griffin McCoy’s shot from ten yards out found the crossbar for UHA before Caldwell’s Deacon Carter rattled the frame of the goal at the other end just a minute later.
The breakthrough came with nine minutes left in the opening half. Thomas beat a defender on the left and played the ball across the goal for Logan Miller to finish from close range and nudge the Blazers in front.
The teams again traded shots off the post in the final five minutes, with Grayden Miller getting behind the Blazer defense and smacking his effort off the far post and Ethan Hale nearly making it 2-0 when his curling shot found the woodwork.
The Blazers did double the advantage seven minutes after halftime when they were awarded another penalty kick. This time Hale stepped up and made no mistake to put UHA in control.
Caldwell was given a lifeline with twenty minutes left to play when UHA conceded a PK on a foul in the box. However, Miller’s attempt from the spot missed high, and the Blazers maintained the two-goal lead.
That all changed in the final ten minutes, beginning with a long free kick from Timothy Nichols that Blazer keeper Quinton Quarles couldn’t handle. Then, with seconds remaining, Caldwell goalkeeper Corbin Nichols launched another free kick from near midfield that sailed in over Quarles to knot the game and force a shootout.
The teams remained tied after the first five attempts. Quarles saved three Caldwell shots, and Nichols batted away two, with Thomas hitting the crossbar with a chance to win the match for the Blazers.
Each team hit two of the following three tries before Quarles saved Caldwell’s ninth shot and the Blazers fired over. Sophomore Landon Marchand buried his attempt to heap pressure on the Tigers, and Miller’s shot went over the bar to set off the UHA celebration.
The Blazers play their next three on the road, beginning with a match at Owensboro High on Tuesday.
Caldwell will look to bounce back when the Tigers host Madisonville-North Hopkins in a 7th-District showdown on Tuesday.
