Ashton Lynam wasn’t named the girls’ soccer region player of the year, but the Henderson County senior took home a bigger award Thursday – the region championship trophy.
Lynam capped a dominant region tournament with a hat trick to lead the Lady Colonels to a 3-1 win over University Heights Academy in Henderson. The championship is the eighth in the last nine years for Henderson County, who will host First Region champion McCracken County Monday in the first round of the KHSAA State Soccer Tournament.
Lynam scored all 11 of Henderson County’s goals in region tournament wins over Hopkins County Central, Trigg County, and UHA.
Henderson County coach Ben Dempsey used the same formula Thursday they did in its two previous tourney wins – score first and drop defenders to flood the box. That strategy took a while to unfold though as both teams played to a scoreless tie.
In addition, Henderson began with an extra defender to try and take away UHA’s ability to cross.
“They started with five or six at the back all night and, you know, we tried to play the ball over the top,” said UHA coach Michael Parker. “We got a few looks, but we never really played the way we played all season. We got into that where they were hurrying us and we were just clearing the ball instead of passing and building from the back.”
UHA managed just two shots in the first half and didn’t get a good look at the goal until the 25th minute.
Both teams had a shot carom off the post in the first half but nothing found the net.
The tide turned in favor of the Lady Colonels nine minutes into the second half when Lynam scored a pair of goals in a two-minute period. The second goal came off a corner kick.
UHA got on the board in the 54th minute when they were awarded a penalty kick due to a Henderson handball in the box. Audrey Perry knocked home the PK to cut the deficit in half.
“We really didn’t start playing until we went two goals down, at which point they were dropping so deep. You know, we were able to get the ball out wide, but we just didn’t do a good job of possessing the ball tonight,” Parker said. “It was like we had so many kids that were just, I don’t know if we were nervous. I don’t know what it was. We didn’t play the way that we can play. And, as far as not getting the ball out wide, it seemed like we were just trying to play a long ball over the top every time.”
Lynam put the game away in the 72nd minute with a shot from the top of the box. The Western Kentucky University commit has 53 goals with 15 coming in four postseason games.
Parker said Lynam reminded him of Henderson’s all-time leading scorer Maddie Griggs who had a hand in eliminating UHA from the region tournament four straight times in 2015-18.
“Maddie had a better supporting cast, but I think that she probably dominated the tournament better than probably any other girl that I’ve seen. Griggs was maybe a better finisher, but Lynam is just so powerful with the ball. It’s hard to stop.”
Henderson’s defense held UHA to just five shots and continually frustrated the Lady Blazers, who were called for 11 fouls in the contest to six for Henderson.
UHA’s season ends with a record of 18-3-1. They brought home another All A region title and advanced to the All A state semifinals for the first time in school history. UHA graduates four seniors on a roster with no juniors.
“We’ve just got to work. We’ve got to get stronger. We’ve got to add strength. We’ve got to add better foot skills. Some nights we pass the ball tremendously. Tonight when we were getting hurried and rushed, it seemed like we were under pressure,” Parker said. “I think we’ll have a great chance coming back next year.”
