The Henderson County Colonels are back at the top of the 2nd Region soccer hill for the first time since 2021. The Colonels capped off that climb Wednesday night by rolling past University Heights Academy 6-1 in the 2nd Region championship match on a cool, breezy night at the Stadium of Champions.
The win gives the Colonels an 8-match winning streak heading into the state tournament which gets underway next week.
Wednesday night’s regional title match opened with a quick barrage of offensive fireworks.
Jax Benton got Henderson County on the board just 2 ½ minutes into the match when he scored a free kick from the right hand side of the box to give the Colonels the early 1-0 lead.
The Blazers answered that opening salvo not long after. Lincoln Hauret received a header right in front of the goal and slid it past Henderson keeper Carsen Emmick to tie the score at 1-1 at the 3:42 mark.
Less than two minutes later, it was Henderson County putting another goal on the board. Alex Bowley scored at 5:15 to move the Colonels back into the lead at 2-1.
Things settled down after that point for most of the rest of the half. Henderson County’s defense found its groove as it had the night before against Madisonville-North Hopkins in the semifinals, allowing the Blazers just four shots in the opening half.
Henderson took the momentum going into the half with a goal at the 36:00 mark. After the Blazers were called for a foul in the box, Jax Benton drilled the PK, giving the Colonels a 3-1 lead going into the break.
That momentum, along with the defensive play from the Colonels, carried over as the second half got underway. Henderson County did not allow the Blazers many good looks at a scoring opportunity, and the Blazers could not convert what few chances they did get.
For a moment, it looked as if it would be ‘game on’ in the second half as it appeared that the Blazers had scored a goal just 4 ½ minutes into the second half that would have made it a one goal match. However, the Blazers were ruled offside on the play and the emotional lift that came briefly from that play was gone just as quickly as it had arrived.
Alex Bowley headed in a shot at 55:30 to run the lead out to 4-1. Henderson would score two more goals over the final twenty-five minutes of the match, including one more from Bowley to put the match away and send Henderson on to the state tournament.
Henderson County improves to 16-3-4 with the win and will now move on to host the opening round of the state tournament against the winner of the 4th Region. Bowling Green and South Warren will decide that championship Thursday night.
University Heights wraps up the season with a record of 16-8-0.
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