Cooper will have a chance to repeat as 33rd District champions after defeating Ryle 3-1 at home on Monday night.
The Jaguars came out firing in the opening minutes as a hard fought run by junior Gracie Iles set up a corner for a Cooper team who excel at set piece opportunities. The corner found the head of forward Kamdyn Hamilton who’s header was finished off by McKayla Harsley to give the Jaguars the quick 1-0 lead in the opening minutes of an elimination game.
“Part of what we wanted to do was come out hot in the first ten minutes,” Cooper head coach Scott Hughes said. “We tried establishing ourselves early on but you know John (Pohlman) did a great job with the Raiders. They closed down quickly on us early on.”
Just minutes after the goal, Ryle had not one, but two chances on goal. The first chance was set up by sophomore Claire Jansen, who set up forward Ella Hoenderkamp for a shot that missed wide.
Ryle’s Maddee Parke made no mistake of finishing off the Raiders’ next opportunity as the sophomore defender connected off a corner to even the score mid-way through the first half.
Giving it all they could to hold the Jaguars to their lone goal, the odds were not in the Raiders’ favor. Since 2021, Cooper has scored at least two goals on the Raiders in each of their last four matches.
That pattern continued Monday night after Harsley got her head on a 25-yard freekick from Iles. Almost identical to the freekick that was determined offside just minutes prior, Harsley and Iles had no problem connecting a second time to make it 2-1 before the half.
“We figured if it worked the first time, maybe it would work again a second time,” Hughes said. “Execution has been a big focus of ours this season. It’s nice to see a play like that result in a positive outcome even though it didn’t count the first time.”
A first half’s momentum that was shared by both teams lessened in the second half as Cooper took control of the match. Controlling the pace, Ryle was forced more often than not into chasing the ball rather than holding possession.
“We tried to adjust in the second half by moving the ball a bit quicker to try and minimize our touches,” Hughes said. “Because of that, I think we were able to move the ball into attacking spaces a little quicker and control the midfield.”
The adjustments eventually paid off as Hamilton, the Jaguars’ leading scorer, was able to finish after the ball made its way through the Raiders’ backline to make it 3-1. Leaving just 15 minutes in the match, Ryle was unable to forge a season-saving comeback.
“I’m very proud of these girls,” said Ryle head coach John Pohlman. “It was a stamp on our season but especially tonight you know, our mistakes just got the best of us. I was proud of the way we competed within the lines but our mistakes did us in this year.”
Ryle finished the season 7-13-2 however, Pohlman’s 12-player sophomore class has a lot to look forward to in the coming seasons. Raiders’ sophomores made up 33 of Ryle’s 45 goals on the season as the young program will look to build on their experience.
“We’re still super young,” Pohlman said. “Starting a lot of freshmen and sophomores this year means they’re building the experience but, we’ve still got things to work on. It’s always tough to end a season like this but we’ve got some highly skilled players with high soccer IQ so we’re always excited for what’s to come.”
Advancing to the finals, Cooper will face off against Conner in a rematch of last year’s district final. In the teams’ last two matchups, both have been decided by a goal.
“I give credit to Conner and coach Mike (Hughes), I think he’s a fantastic coach,” Hughes said. “He’s one of the best coaches in Northern Kentucky, if not the state. There’s no question we’ll both have our girls prepared and you know it’s always an intense battle.”
While Conner was able to grab a decisive win over Boone County that allowed players to conserve energy, Cooper is just fine with another 80-minute test for a second-straight 33rd District title.
Not to mention, the Jaguars get to defend their trophy with home field advantage. “I prefer seeing our colors on that turf this year,” Hughes said.
Some more photos of Monday’s 33rd District semifinal with a slideshow below, provided by Charles Bolton:
Conner 8, Boone County 0
The Conner Cougars were the first team to claim their spot in the 33rd District final after defeating Boone County 8-0 on Monday night.
Finding their first goal just 13 minutes in, freshman midfielder Ella Folke connected with senior forward Milana Arevalo who was one of eight different scorers on the night.
Conner converted three more times in the first 40 minutes thanks to goals from Maya Owen, Ava Schier and Ashley Sweetay to give themselves a comfortable 4-0 lead at the half. The sizable lead gave core starters a rest in the second half who would otherwise play a full 80 minutes.
Cougars head coach Michael Hughes opted to give players off the bench a number of minutes in the second half who kept their foot on the gas. Conner produced four more goals in the second half which all came from shots outside of the box to seal their decisive win.
As Boone County’s season came to an end, the Rebels finished the year 6-10-1 and graduate five seniors.
Conner will continue their postseason run on Thursday in the 33 District final against Cooper on the Jaguars home turf.
Some more photos of Monday’s 33rd District semifinal matchup between Conner and Boone County in a slideshow provided by Charles Bolton below:
