Campbell County head coach Dave Morris has led the Lady Camels since 2007, but in that time, he couldn’t recall his team ever coming back from a 3-0 deficit.
He can finally say he’s seen it. Down 3-0 in the 27th minute, Campbell County stormed back with four unanswered goals to stun rival and No. 5 state-ranked Bishop Brossart, 4-3, on Wednesday evening at the Mustang Athletic Complex in Alexandria.
“I told them, I’ve been here 19 years, and I’m not sure the last time we came back from three down,” Morris said. “When we got down 3-0, the team decided, among themselves, that they weren’t going to put up with it anymore. They gutted it out, both as individuals and as a team.”
The Lady Camels had won eight straight regular-season meetings with Brossart dating back to 2016, but early on it looked like that streak would end. The Lady ’Stangs struck quickly, scoring three times in the opening 26 minutes — two goals from Kylie Smith and one from Rylee Fuller. Campbell County answered before halftime with goals from Caitlin and Kennedy Crowley to cut the deficit to 3-2.
“We played well the first 20 to 30 minutes and then we fell off,” Brossart head coach Andy Smith said. “We lost focus, making the wrong passes instead of the right passes. What changed was our overall focus and attention to detail. We didn’t win as many balls out of the air, not having good clearances.”
In the second half, Kennedy Crowley took over. She scored twice more to complete the hat trick and seal the comeback victory.
“As the season progresses, she gets better,” Morris said. “That’s what she’s been doing. It’s her soccer smarts, it’s her natural ability, and she works very hard every practice. She had a great night. She made some big shots when she had to. She just doesn’t get tired.”
Hailey Roomes, Jillian Florimonte, and Allison McKee each added an assist, while goalkeepers Abi Medaugh and Morgan Roomes combined for six saves.
Both teams entered with wins over the other two 37th District squads, Calvary Christian and Scott. With the victory, Campbell County secured the No. 1 seed for the district tournament, while Brossart locked in the No. 2 seed. That sets up Campbell against No. 4 seed Scott, and Brossart against No. 3 seed Calvary in the opening round.
The win also marked the Lady Camels’ ninth straight, improving their record to 11-4 overall. Up next, they host Archbishop McNicholas (OH) on Monday at 7:30 p.m. in Claryville.
Bishop Brossart (11-2-2) had won seven straight entering the matchup and hadn’t lost since Aug. 18, their only previous defeat of the season. Next, the Lady ’Stangs turn their attention to the quarterfinal round of the All “A” Classic state tournament, where they’ll face University Heights at Champion’s Trace Collegiate Turf Field at Louisville Collegiate.
“We’re kind of in a slump right now,” Smith said. “We’re trying to work through it. I feel like these last two games have been our worst. Our only way to go from here is uphill.”
Kickoff is set for 3:15 p.m. Friday.
More photos below, provided by Charles Bolton:
