A pair of goals from freshman Aletheia Golightly helped the Madisonville-North Hopkins Lady Maroons continue their 7th District championship streak.
Golightly netted her first goal just a minute and a half into Thursday district final in Princeton — scoring on a blast from the top of the box and setting the Lady Maroons on their way to their eighth-straight district title.
Madisonville (12-7) never trailed in its rematch with Hopkins County Central, avenging a 3-0 regular-season defeat to the Lady Storm with a 3-1 triumph in the championship game at Caldwell County’s Butler Stadium.
Hopkins Central (13-3) saw its scoring opportunities limited in the first half. However, the Lady Storm had a chance to tie the match on a penalty kick in the 23rd minute. But the attempt missed the mark as Madisonville held on to its 1-0 advantage throughout the first half.
Golightly struck again quickly in the second half. Her goal in the 43rd minute gave the Lady Maroons some cushion at 2-0. McKinley Jo Wilson picked up an assist on the play.
Golightly’s play also led to another Madisonville goal in the 57th minute. Golightly drew a foul in the box, with Hadley Hodges hammering home the penalty kick to make it a 3-0 ballgame.
The Lady Storm put together its best offensive stretch over the final 20 minutes.
Emma Vandiver broke up the shutout when she dribbled inside the box and scored in the 65th minute to cut the gap to 3-1.
However, despite creating more chances, Hopkins Central could never find the net again as Madisonville held on for the win.
The Lady Maroons held a 12-8 advantage in shots in the contest.
Nevaeh Lindle recorded three saves in the Madisonville net. Savannah Barnett made four saves for Hopkins Central.
The Lady Storm’s win over Madisonville during the regular season was its first against the Lady Maroons since the 2003 season.
Both teams advance to the 2nd Region tournament, which is set to begin with first-round action Saturday at University Heights Academy in Hopkinsville.
