There was just one thing that could stop Covington Catholic and Highlands in their soccer match Thursday night: a fire alarm.
With just under 30 minutes remaining, a fire alarm went off at the Bluebirds soccer field at Tower Park in Fort Thomas, causing a brief delay as fans made their way to the parking lot and both teams stopped play.
It was the only thing that could stop either team.
The two rivals couldn’t stop each other, resulting in a 1-1 draw.
No, it’s not a win. No, it’s not a loss. So what does a tie mean for both squads?
For starters, the Colonels have had their fair share of ties. Thursday’s draw was their sixth of the season, more than either their wins or losses.
“It’s different than most American sports and a tie can be a good result, but I didn’t feel like that was the case tonight,” Covington Catholic assistant coach Jason Lewis said. “We played really well in the first half and struggled coming out of the gate in the second half. For the fourth game in a row, we’ve given up a halftime lead, so that’s something we’ve got to work on, but credit to them. I played for Coach Robertson here and the way Highlands played tonight, the spirit that they played with in the second half reminded me of how we used to play.”
For the Bluebirds, the tie means they remain unbeaten, with just their second draw of the season and an 8-0-2 record.
But for Highlands, it means much more than a final score or an unbeaten record.
“You’ve got to look, not at the result, but what actually happened between the lines,” Highlands head coach Suli Kayed said. “It’s somebody we can meet again in the tournament and we have to learn what they’re good at and what we have to be better at. We want to be ready for them come October. It’s the same learning, same analysis as if we would have lost 1-0 tonight.”
For the first 40 minutes, that first loss of the season for the Bluebirds was in the making.
In the 33rd minute, junior Chase Fleck scored, marking just the second match this season in which Highlands has allowed a goal. The other came in the second match of the season against Campbell County, when the Bluebirds allowed three goals.
Nine minutes into the second half, Highlands became more aggressive, tallying 10 shots on the night, three of them on goal. One of those found the back of the net, as junior Henry Hosea tied the match.
“It’s a game of swings and our biggest challenge this year is going to be how do we get ahead and then how do we keep that same fight,” Lewis said. “We’re still missing that, so that will be the difference if we can figure it out.”
The chances continued to come in the final 31 minutes as both teams looked for the goal that would break the tie. Covington Catholic also finished with 10 shots, putting five on goal, while Highlands goalkeeper Phineas Weiss recorded four saves.
But of all the shots from both sides, none were enough to give either team the upper hand when the clock hit zero.
And for the fourth consecutive regular-season meeting, neither team walked away with a win.
The No. 16-ranked Bluebirds are not only still unbeaten, but are now 5-0-2 against 9th Region opponents.
“We don’t focus on our record as much, and my expectations going into this year were not that we would be where we are today,” Kayed said. “We’re young, we only had three seniors last year, and we start three freshman and three sophomores. Credit to these guys, they find ways to compete in every game. Every single player works their butt off.”
Highlands will take on Archbishop McNicholas Thursday.
The No. 23-ranked Colonels, whose last four matches have ended in either a loss or a tie, will look to get back into the win column Saturday against St. Henry.
MORE PHOTOS: Provided by Charles Bolton
COLONELS 1, BLUEBIRDS 1
COVINGTON CATHOLIC — 1-0 — 1
HIGHLANDS — 0-1 — 1
Game Stats
Goals: (CC) Fleck 33′, (H) Hosea 49′
Shots (On Goal): Covington Catholic 10(5), Highlands 10(3)
Saves: Covington Catholic 2 (Gifford), Highlands 4 (Weiss)
Corner Kicks: Covington Catholic 6, Highlands 4
Fouls: Covington Catholic 6, Highlands 5
Offsides: Covington Catholic 1, Highlands 1
Records: Covington Catholic 4-2-6, Highlands 8-0-2
