The Hopkinsville girls’ soccer team advanced to the 8th District championship match for the fourth season in a row by way of a dramatic 3-2 overtime victory over Fort Campbell.
The teams couldn’t be separated for more than 80 minutes on Monday before Lila Jorgensen’s deflected shot found its way into the net with 1:28 left in the first overtime, leaving the Lady Falcons heartbroken.
Fort Campbell entered the match in search of its first postseason victory since the 2014 season. The Lady Falcons haven’t taken home the district trophy since knocking off Hopkinsville 3-1 in 2001.
The Lady Tigers got out to an early lead when Rebecca Wood curled in a corner kick that found the back of the net in the 14th minute.
Fort Campbell pushed for the equalizer, and it looked like the pressure might pay off when the Lady Falcons forced a diving save from Hopkinsville goalkeeper Jaleigha McFarland, followed closely by a header that struck the Lady Tiger post.
The Lady Falcons continued to knock on the door with three straight corner kicks late in the half, but Hopkinsville went into the halftime break with its narrow lead intact.
However, the advantage lasted only seven minutes in the second half when Alexa Aubuchon steered home a shot after a loose ball in the box to knot the match at 1-1.
With Fort Campbell’s leading scorer, Anna Allen, receiving a lot of attention from Hoptown’s Grace Cansler and the Lady Tigers playing without injured forward Kaydon Coats, chances were hard to come by for both teams.
With just over 14 minutes left, Wood forced a save from goalkeeper Avaley Moore, leading to a Hopkinsville corner kick. The Lady Tigers thought an ensuing shot had crossed the line before the Lady Falcons cleared it, but Kaylyn Lynch was waiting at the top of the box for a one-touch shot that was on target to make it 2-1 with 13:20 to play.
Undeterred, the Lady Falcons had a quick reply, heading down the field straight off the kickoff and again tying the match on a tap-in by Peyton Lopez off a ball across from Abigail Allen.
With the Lady Tigers wobbling, Allen shot just wide and had another attempt from the left side of the box saved by McFarland. Mylah Sawyer had one more chance to win it in regular time for the Lady Falcons, but her shot went wide.
In the first five-minute overtime, with the prospect of penalty kicks looming, Jorgensen’s shot from the left of the box struck a Fort Campbell defender and squirmed past Moore to set off the Lady Tiger celebration.
Hopkinsville improved to 13-8-1 with its third win in a row and moved on to a title game matchup with hosts University Heights on Wednesday.
The Lady Falcons saw their season end with a record of 8-7.
