The Fort Campbell athletic teams have experienced a roller coaster ride of emotions in the past six days akin to Cedar Point on steroids.
Those emotions involving the Lady Falcons soccer team culminated with a 5-0 win over Hopkinsville in Monday’s 8th District Soccer Tournament semifinals outside the Stadium of Champions.
When the federal government shut down at 12:01 am on October 1, the DoDEA sent guidance that all extracurricular activities, including sports, were suspended until funding had been approved by Congress.
The sports teams were not allowed to practice or use the school facilities during the shutdown. With the soccer postseason looming, phone calls were made to several government and military officials and state and federal politicians, asking for a waiver that would allow the teams to compete during the shutdown.
On Monday afternoon, around 1:00, the team learned they could play in Monday night’s semifinals. A little over six hours later, Fort Campbell scored two goals in the game’s first three minutes and was well on their way to the semifinal win.
Lady Falcon coach Alex Romero has been through two previous government shutdowns, and each one has been different.
“It happened to us in 2012 and in 2018, and it happened to us during COVID. It’s just one of the things that you can never prepare for because no matter what, it’s always a different team,” he said. “The girls’ team has not lived through this, but I kept telling them to stay hopeful.”
Romero mused that the layoff made his team well-rested coming into Monday’s game, and the Lady Falcons looked sharp early when Avery Katz took a bad clearing pass by Hoptown and drilled home a goal three minutes in.
Less than a minute later, Alexa Aubuchon got loose in front of the goal and banged a shot off the post that bounced in for a quick 2-0 lead.
Fort Campbell’s back four of Alysa Garcia, Eliza Allen, Grace Stultz, and Haleigh Cox teamed with goalie Avaley Moore to impede Hoptown’s angles on offense and take away their through balls.
Hoptown managed 13 shots, and Moore made nine saves.
Fort Campbell struck quickly in the second half when Aubuchon drilled a long shot from the left side.
A’Mari Grimsley rounded out the scoring with a pair of goals over a 13-minute period for the final five-goal margin. She took the team lead with her 14th goal of the season.
The Lady Falcons’ win snapped a four-game losing streak to Hopkinsville and averaged a 4-1 loss on August 26.
Fort Campbell (7-7) will advance to Wednesday’s championship game against University Heights Academy, an 8-0 winner over Christian County in the other semifinal.
It’s Fort Campbell’s first district tournament win since 2014, and they will be looking for the school’s first district championship since 2001.
For Hopkinsville, not only does their season end with a 10-8-1 record, but Monday was the final match in the school’s history. Hopkinsville and Christian County are merging into one school next year.
Wednesday’s championship is set for 6:00.
