“Finish it off ladies,” Campbell County assistant girls soccer coach Simon Sapsford said. “Finish it off.”
It took 90 minutes and five penalty kicks Thursday, but the Camels did. They defeated George Rogers Clark, 1-0 (4-3 in penalties) and claimed the 10th Region title at Bishop Brossart’s Munninghoff Family Stadium.
Campbell County (14-8-3) won its first title since 2021 and snapped GRC’s eight-game winning streak. Camels coach David Morris said Thursday’s win was nicer because it was less expected than the ‘21 title.
“This year, we knew, with Brossart and with GRC, it was going to be very difficult,” Morris said. “Right now, this one feels better. It feels better because I think we knew it was going to be much more of a struggle.”
Ryan Weghorn’s goal in the fifth session – the title-clinching PK – gave the Camels the trophy.
“Pretty surreal, super amazing,” Weghorn said. “Literal chills.”
The win reduced Camels’ goalkeeper Abi Medaugh to tears.
“I just started bawling my eyes out because I was so happy,” Medaugh said.
Morris hoped Thursday wouldn’t come down to PKs – he watched GRC make all five in Wednesday’s 2-1 semifinal win over Brossart. A look at that video revealed a pattern – and gave the Camels an advantage.
“We watched the video, and so we showed it to the keeper right before she went out,” Morris said. “We knew what direction they went (Wednesday) … and only one changed it up.”
What Morris liked almost as much: Medaugh and Morgan Roomes did not allow a goal in region wins over Montgomery County, Harrison County and GRC.
Campbell County’s overarching task Thursday was to contain GRC’s (13-4-2) Reese Patrick, who led the Cardinals with 32 goals, including three in a pair of 3-1 wins against the Camels earlier this season. The Camels’ 3-6-1 system with its three defenders and six midfielders, held Patrick to just two shots in regulation and extra time.
“We didn’t do the formation to keep (Patrick) under control,” Weghorn said. “We just had a good back line, a good midfield, a good front line. She just couldn’t do anything about it.”
A pair of Medaugh saves were especially noteworthy. In the 55th minute, she stopped Laney Frazier’s shot from about 20 yards out, and seven minutes later she did the same against Ella Vanhooser.
Frazier and Campbell County’s Jozie Holmes opened the PK session with goals. In the second attempt, Medaugh stopped Cassi Lowe and Jillian Florimonte beat Cardinals keeper Maddie Redmond to the upper left corner.
“I just made a guess,” Medaugh said.
Patrick scored in the third attempt, and Redmond deflected Madeleine Barbian’s shot over the crossbar.
Medaugh stopped Madelyn Settles’ shot in the fourth round, and Kennedy Crowley’s shot off the post gave the Camels a 3-2 lead. Vanhooser scored in the fifth.
“It came off her foot, I thought it was wide,” Morris said.
Campbell County meets either Boyle County or West Jessamine of the 12th Region in next week’s opening round of the state tournament. The Rebels and Colts battle for the title at 1 p.m. Saturday at Somerset.
Holmes and Emma Westlund were freshmen on Campbell County’s 2021 region champions. To Westlund, Thursday meant the Camels could at last forget about the two regular season losses to GRC and a penalty loss to the Cardinals in last year’s regional semifinals.
“This one’s the one that matters,” Westlund said.
