When a high school soccer match goes into penalty kicks to determine the winner, there is always celebration at that instant of victory for one team and the heartbreak of loss for the other. In Wednesday night’s boys’ 8th District championship match, the University Heights Academy Blazers were the team enjoying the ‘thrill of victory’, while, to quote the old ABC Wide World of Sports intro, the Christian County Colonels were left in the ‘agony’ of defeat.
The Blazers used a perfect round of penalty kicks and got the biggest stop of the season from Quinton Quarles in goal on the third Christian County penalty kick to outscore the Colonels 5-3 in Pks and take a 1-0 win in a heart-stopping 8th District championship match in front of a loud crowd at the Stadium of Champions.
The win gives the Blazers their 4th straight 8th District championship.
After playing 90 minutes of scoreless soccer, the Blazers found the net everytime they needed to when they needed to the most. Matthew Hauret, Logan Miller, Lincoln Hauret, Harlow Hampton, and Clayton Lester, all connected on their shots against Christian County goalie Mason Malone.
Bryan Linares and Christian Lopez scored on the first two kicks for Christian County. Quinton Quarles then made the play of the night for the Blazers. With Noah Davis up for the third attempt for the Colonels, he got Quarles to lean to the left just a bit and took his shot to just the right of center. Quarles, however, got his left hand out and knocked the ball away, putting the Colonels’ backs against the wall.
Tyler Stokes would make his shot for Christian County, giving UHA a 4-3 lead going into the final kick. However, Clayton Lester’s shot ended the chance for the Colonels to draw even, and the celebration was on for the Blazers.
Several Colonels dropped to the turf in the heartbreak of the moment. In a great show of compassion and sportsmanship, several UHA players stopped to console the Colonels who had given the Blazers all they wanted for more than 90 minutes on the pitch.
The two teams battled through the two halves and two five-minute sudden-death overtime periods. The Blazers took more shots but could not find a way to get the ball into the net. Christian County’s defense kept turning the Blazers away despite being outshot 20 to 6 on the night.
The match was hard-fought from the moment the ball was put into play with neither team willing to give an inch or an easy shot to the other.
UHA improves to 12-8-1 with the win. Christian County falls to 7-10-0. Both teams will advance to next week’s 2nd Region tournament at Madisonville-North Hopkins.
