These four girls soccer teams battled for regional championships last year and will do it again this year after they earned semifinal wins in their respective tournaments.
The 9th Region title game at Dixie Heights on Saturday at 5 p.m. will once again feature the Highlands Bluebirds (14-6-3) and the defending state champion Notre Dame Pandas (17-3-2). The two will meet for the region championship for the fifth time in seven years.
Also on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Harrison County, the Campbell County Camels (13-3-7) and the Bishop Brossart Mustangs (12-8-4) will battle for the 10th Region title. The two will meet for the third time this year after the Camels won both the regular season and 37th District championship meetings.
9th Region Semifinals at Dixie Heights
Highlands 2, Dixie Heights 1 (Overtime)
The Bluebirds and Colonels (12-8-3) once again met in the semifinals and battled to the final kick.
That kick came with 3:38 left in the first five-minute overtime frame. Highlands junior defender Ava Meyer drew a penalty to the left of the goal from just outside the 18-foot box. She centered it and the prolific junior forward Laney Smith punched it in through traffic to lift the Bluebirds to the victory. That is Smith’s team-high 31st goal of the season.
“We had to battle the wind and their big balls,” said Chris Norris, Highlands head coach. “But in the end, we’re a very experienced team. This is the fifth (straight) year going to the (region) finals. There are absolute winners on this team. We started four freshmen. We do thing the exact same way. It showed out there. I thought we out-possessed them. I thought we did everything right. It was just a matter of time before the ball was going to get in. It was a fantastic game to watch. I’m absolutely proud of these ladies.”
Smith said she always looks into the stands at her grandmother in Marie Shields after scoring goals. Marie Shields is the wife of legendary Highlands and Northern Kentucky University head basketball coach Ken Shields.
“I was in shock. It was really surreal,” Smith said. “I feel great and I’m really proud of our team. I honestly feel it was a lot more rewarding (than winning best-of-five kicks from the mark if teams are tied after two five-minute overtime sessions). We haven’t really been in overtime this season or in my career so it was nerve-racking. The team surrounded me then I went to (Hinegardner) because she’s one of my best friends. She worked her tail off. Then I went to my sister (freshman Franny Smith) then we tributed the seniors.”
But every play in the game leading up to that play mattered. Both teams unofficially had 16 shots including five on goal, three corner kicks and one yellow card each. Highlands freshman goalkeeper Natalie Hinegardner had four saves and Dixie Heights senior goalkeeper Sarah Legg had three.
Both teams had chances to score in the first half. But neither put one in. Dixie Heights senior standout Ashtyn Ivey had a nice shot that Hinegardner saved and Highlands sophomore defender Kendall Graves cleared a ball in the attacking box that made its way behind Hinegardner.
The game’s first goal came just one minute, 52 seconds into the second half when Ivey dribbled to the right side and fired one to the left side of the goal giving the Colonels a 1-0 advantage. Ivey came into the region tournament leading Dixie Heights with 12 goals. But the Highlands defense including freshman defender Kaylee Mills limited her looks at the goal.
“I feel like we’ve really worked together and we communicated well who’s side (Ivey) was on and how close we should be,” Mills said. “I feel like the older players helped direct us back there and we won it as a team. I feel like we got all the nerves out against Conner (a 1-0 region quarterfinal win at Tower Park on Monday). We knew how we were going to play.”
It did not take long for the Bluebirds to score the equalizer. The Bluebirds drew a penalty in the attacking box and senior midfielder Anna Melson put in the penalty kick with 36:33 left in the game for her 12th goal of the season.
“In practice a lot, we focus on penalty kicks and it’s something the coaches have done a great job preparing us for,” Melson said. “We used to performing under pressure. I think it’s all about confidence. That has just soared as we’ve grown throughout the season.”
Both teams had chances to go ahead down the stretch. Dixie Heights senior Reese Smith had a free kick that Hinegardner saved with 13:37 left in regulation. Then Highlands sophomore defender/midfielder Kate Fausz had a hard shot with 12:15 left that Legg saves.
Highlands came inches away from taking the lead with 1:27 left in regulation. Junior midfielder Claire Cavacini put a shot up that deflected off the crossbar.
The game saw its usual amount of fouls. Dixie Heights had 12 to nine for Highlands.
Highlands has won 14 in a row in the series. But nine of the wins have come by a goal. Dixie Heights last beat Highlands, 2-1 on kicks from the mark in the 9th Region Quarterfinals on Oct. 15, 2012 at Ryle.
Notre Dame 4, St. Henry 1
Notre Dame Head Coach Suli Kayed has talked all season about putting opponents away.
The Pandas did that better in this game scoring all four goals in the first half to build distance against the rival Crusaders (13-6-2) and not look back. They outshot the Crusaders, 20-7 including a 14-4 mark on goal. Notre Dame junior goalkeeper Hannah Renaker made three saves.
“I think our approach was good,” Kayed said. “We really wanted to take it to them early. I think our girls executed on 99 percent of what we were trying to do. You saw the girls come out on fire with the energy on the field and the energy on the sidelines. At the end of the day, it was a successful day.”
St. Henry once again used two goalkeepers. Junior Avery Collins played between the pipes in the first half and senior Ella Thompson played there in the second half. They combined to make 10 saves.
Senior forward Ellie Greenwell led the Pandas her 13th and 14th goals of the year with 21:57 and 13:19 left in the first half. The team’s leading goal-scorer in sophomore Riley Robertson put the Pandas up 1-0 with 33:45 left in the first half. Robertson has 15 goals this year.
“Once I scored, I had so many emotions,” Robertson said. “It took so much stress of my back and our other teammates. Scoring that first goal really sets the tone. It really made the game a lot better.”
Notre Dame’s fourth goal came with 7:41 left in the first half. Sophomore Cameron Kirtley scored it for her third of the season.
“I think it shows a lot because in the beginning of the season, we did have a little bit of trouble with finishing,” Kirtley said. “But now we’ve come a long way with putting teams away in the first half. We weren’t as stressed out as we could have been. It was really special to score.”
Notre Dame consistently doubled and tripled St. Henry senior standout midfielder Mandy Schlueter when she had the ball at her feet until the final minutes of the game. The Ohio State commit broke free to score her 35th goal of the season with 4:23 left in the game.
“She’s such an offensive threat as their play-maker up top,” said Caroline Harper, Notre Dame junior. “It’s super important to shut her down early though. We worked on it in practice with the help of our (center midfielders) and wing backs. She’s such a tough player that it’s hard to shut her down sometimes.”
Kayed said the Pandas generally just mark opponents with one player. But the fact Notre Dame had to put multiple players near Schlueter says how good of a player she is.
St. Henry still made major strides this year. They won just two games in Brian Bamberger‘s first season as head coach last year. The Crusaders graduate 10 seniors.
“I think our seniors really stepped up this year,” Bamberger said. “I’m very proud of them. (Notre Dame) is deep, fast and quick. They’re well-coached. If you’re not on your A game, they’ll make you pay. But we played well. We started a little slow. But I’m very proud of the way we finished. They never quit. That’s probably what I’m most proud about this team.”
The game featured a lightning delay with 27:04 left in the first half. But the full game took place with the rain coming and going.
Notre Dame is 8-0-1 in the last nine games of this series. St. Henry last beat Notre Dame, 2-1 on the road during the regular season Sept. 8, 2010 on the way to the state championship.
10th Region Semifinals at Harrison County
Bishop Brossart 5, George Rogers Clark 2
The Mustangs trailed the determined Cardinals (14-4-2) 2-1 in the first half. But they tied it before halftime then scored twice out of the gate to pull away for the win on the grass fields at Harrison County’s Harrison County Athletic Complex.
Senior midfielder Jill Planeaux led the Mustangs with a hat trick of three goals with senior forward/midfielder Katelynn Kremer and junior forward/midfielder Emma Sandfoss scoring one each. Planeaux leads Brossart with 21 goals on the season and Sandfoss is second with 11.
“We started the game with an early goal,” said Andy Smith, Brossart head coach. “We came out in the second half and basically, Jill Planeaux put the team on her back and took it to the house. That’s the best game I’ve ever seen her play. Overall, I’m proud of their resilience. Up 1-0 then down 2-1 is sometimes a back-breaker. But we stook up to them, played physical and got the job done.”
Smith also credited the Brossart defense. George Rogers Clark’s two leading goal-scorers entering the game were junior midfielder Madison Stapleton and senior forward Ciana Araya with 16 each.
“I think it was our drive to not stop and we knew we were not done yet,” said Claire Hummel, Bishop Brossart senior midfielder. “It showed though everyone. (The first two goals in the second half) put our confidence up high. But at the same time, we had to keep our composure and not stop just because we were up two.”
Bishop Brossart played host to GRC earlier this year on Aug. 22. The Cardinals left with a 1-0 win.
Campbell County 8, Harrison County 0
The Camels (13-3-7) dominated the Fillies (6-13) ousthooting them, 33-1 on target. Freshman goalkeeper Morgan Roomes made one save as Campbell County let some reserves earn some tournament experience.
Sophomore forward Jozie Holmes had two goals and one assist to lead the Camels. Freshman forward Kennedy Crowley had one goal and one assist. Holmes is second on the team with 14 goals this year.
Campbell County has outscored their four postseason opponents, 17-0. That includes a 14-0 score in two region tournament wins.
Volleyball
St. Henry 3, Holy Cross 0
The Crusaders (22-7) knocked off the host Indians (28-6) by 25-20, 25-13, 25-14 scores. St. Henry is 10-1 against 9th Region opponents.
“We served aggressively to keep them out of system,” said Elizabeth Tabeling, St. Henry junior libero. “That kept them from getting the ball to (setter) Maya Hunt so Maya could not set (junior hitter) Julia Hunt. We know Julia Hunt is their main hitter.”
Holy Cross concludes the regular season at home Thursday at 7 p.m. against Cincinnati (Ohio) McNicholas. St. Henry may play one more regular season game before district tournament action starts next week.
Other Volleyball Scores
Dayton 2 (25-16, 23-25, 25-18), Bellevue 1
Boone County 2 (25-23, 25-14), Bracken County 0
Ludlow 2 (25-10, 25-12), Holmes 0
St. Henry 3 (25-20, 25-13, 25-14), Holy Cross 0
Bishop Brossart 3 (25-9, 25-15, 25-18), Lloyd Memorial 0
Villa Madonna 2 (20-25, 28-26, 25-23), Highlands 1
