After a thrilling penalty shootout in Thursday’s girls 33rd District soccer championship, the Conner Cougars outlasted Cooper to claim their first district title since 2021.
As Cooper’s Jessy Nichols’ took the seventh penalty shot for the Jaguars, Conner senior Ally Welch correctly anticipated the shot’s direction, resulting in the save that won the game.
“I knew I was super close to a few of them,” Welch said. “At that point I was just hoping I could make a play and was super thankful I did.”
An ending with such excitement began with a match of lockdown defense. Between Conner’s 17 defensive shutouts on the year and Cooper’s 10, both offenses had their work cut out for them.
Cooper’s back line made up of juniors Jayden Herald and Jennifer Thoman and senior McKayla Harsley, played high and matched tightly against the Cougars’ athletic front. On the other end, Conner’s Izelee Kerns acted as a brick wall against Jaguars’ leading scorer Kamdyn Hamilton, preventing any chance of a breakaway.
“It was a tough matchup between two very aggressive and physical teams,” Cooper head coach Scott Hughes said. “I think that was just a testament to how much pressure both teams put on each other given we all know each other’s strengths.”
Although the offensive intensity picked up through the final minutes, a shot landing just over the goal from Nichols was the closest chance for either team as the end of regulation approached.
Sailing through two, five-minute overtime periods, neither team could find an answer as the game was headed towards a penalty shootout.
Thanks to a save by Cooper’s Amanda Collins, the Jaguars were left with one shot to win the game. Taking what could’ve been the fifth and final shot, Hamilton’s shot floated over the post.
“In that moment I was thinking back to when I coached her (Hamilton) sister Rylan at Boone County,” Conner head coach Michael Hughes said. “She was the fifth kicker on the exact same field that won the game.”
What was almost deja vu turned into yet another opportunity for the Cougars, and they made no mistake.
Photo slideshow below, provided by Charles Bolton:
“She (Welch) told me she was going to save one,” Michael Hughes said. “She was due, she’s just an unbelievable keeper and we had all the confidence in the world for her.”
Preventing Cooper from back-to-back titles, Conner claims a district title that has seen a different winner in each of its last seven seasons with Ryle the last team to win consecutive titles in ‘17 and ‘18.
Despite the loss, Cooper’s season lives on as they’ll look to regroup ahead of the 9th Region tournament.
“If I were given a blueprint of a team I’d want to coach, they’d all be a part of it.” Scott Hughes said. “Tonight was not our moment but I told the girls that moment is still waiting to happen.”
As both teams await their regional draw, Hughes and his Cougars squad are living in the moment for now.
“I feel confident about where we are as a team but for now, we’re going to enjoy this win a little longer,” the Cougars coach said.
All Tournament team: Ryle- Cassie Gripshover, Boone County- Avery Jones, Cooper- Kamdyn Hamilton, Cooper- Amanda Collins, Conner- Izelee Kerns, Conner- Cayley Eilers, Conner- MVP Ally Welch
CONNER 3, RYLE 1
Picking up right where the Lady Cougars left off, the Conner boys were able to pull out a 3-1 victory over Ryle as they claimed the 33rd District title for the first time since 2019.
Putting an end to a potential Raiders five-peat, Conner entered Thursday night’s match with something to prove.
“Our guys are young and carry a lot of confidence in each other,” Conner head coach John Walker said. “We played a bit more free tonight knowing that no matter the outcome we’d still have more soccer to play. But these guys play to win.”
The Cougars came out with a high press that resulted in two goals within the first eight minutes, but both were called back. That’s when Ryle’s Cooper Neace broke into the scoring column first to give the Raiders an early lead.
Remaining calm, Conner forward Grady Noble came up with back-to-back goals just six minutes later as the Cougars quickly regained momentum with a 2-1 advantage.
“I felt like I had speed against their defense,” Noble said. “I knew it was still early in the game when they got their goal. We’d found a way to beat them once this season so we knew we had to dig deep.”
With five yellow cards handed out through the first half, neither side had any plans of backing out of a tackle. Improving off last year’s zero goal district performance, Conner didn’t see themselves as the underdog to the Raiders’ district success.
“There’s always a lot of talk when you have rivals,” Noble said. “I didn’t want them to get that five-peat and that’s what we went out and did.”
Photo slideshow below, provided by Charles Bolton:
After a converted penalty kick by Conner senior Brayden Thornton, the Cougars had a 3-1 lead on a Raiders team still searching for an answer. Finding opportunities in the box, Ryle struggled to keep their chances on target.
Missing out on a hat trick only to a goal-saving stop by Ryle defender Calvin Huxel, Noble and the Cougars were able to hold their lead throughout the second half as time eventually ran out on the Raiders.
“The guys did a nice job of focusing on the little things throughout the game that gave us success,” Walker said. “I think we looked pretty good on the attack tonight which resulted in a lot of successful plays for us.
Conner’s defense rose to the occasion, frustrating a Ryle squad that scored 11 goals in their three previous matches.
“We put ourselves in areas to be the best team on the field not only tonight but I think we’ll be able to continue that going forward,” Walker said.
Looking ahead at the upcoming 9th Region tournament, Conner are not only 33rd District champions, they’re also unbeaten through their last eight games. A new look from last year’s regional champions, don’t expect Ryle to back down to a challenge.
All Tournament team: Boone County- Abdullahi Mohammed, Ryle- Danny Harding, Ryle- Diego Lakkis, Conner- Trey Wagner, Conner- Brayden Thornton, Conner- MVP Grady Noble