Cooper wins boys 33rd District on McDonald’s overtime goal

Cooper boys soccer coach Dennis Wainscott didn’t know who scored.

Wainscott, his assistants and the Jaguars found out seconds later – senior Jackson McDonald’s tap-in in the 84^th minute gave Cooper the 1-0 overtime win over Conner in Thursday’s 33^rd District final at Ryle’s C.R. Borland Sr. Stadium.

“I didn’t even know it went in, and then they started going crazy, so no, I didn’t see it, I’ll be honest,” Wainscott said. “I thought it was Jackson, I know he was in the mix.”

McDonald can thank fellow senior Maddox Pemberton – his throw-in allowed McDonald to send the ball past Cougar goalkeeper Abram Dostal. Cooper (11-8-1) thus ended a three-game losing streak against Conner.

“It just came over from Maddox’s throw, right over (Cooper’s Andrew) Palmer’s head,” McDonald said. “I just took the shot.”

Pemberton said he and McDonald practice the set piece a lot.

“Me and Jackson, we’ve got long throw-ins, so we just chuck ‘em in there,” Pemberton said. “We try and get everybody in there and just tap it in.”

Conner coach John Walker said there was a defender behind McDonald, but the ball went between the defender and Dostal.

“I don’t know how to describe it,” Walker said. “They got the ball.”

Wainscott said McDonald has scored several goals off Pemberton throw-ins. “They both have really big throw-ins, and we just tried to pack the (six-yard) box and beat the keeper to it,” he said.

McDonald’s goal was the offensive gem of the night, but Cooper senior goalkeeper Carson Morgan turned in a save-of-the-season nominee in the 73^rd minute when he dove to his right and grabbed Ayden Terry’s shot from about 25 yards out – a ball that bent like a right parenthesis bracket.

Morgan lined up a little to the left of the five-player wall in front of Terry.

“Ayden Terry’s a really good player, a really good shot; he can bend it anywhere,” Morgan said. “So I wanted a big wall to cover as much as possible, and I set up a little on the left side of the goal so I could kind of still see the ball.”

Terry went for the lower left corner of the goal, but Morgan had a head start.

“It was more of an anticipation, an educated guess,” Morgan said.

Conner (12-8-1) lost its best scorer, senior Grady Noble (who had 21 goals), in the 14^th minute to an apparent right ankle injury. Walker tried four or five players to adjust.

“We just kept trying to figure out who could fill that position, moving people around, getting someone that was, you know, similarly quick to (Noble) up top,” Walker said.

Morgan’s late save was not the only time he dove to the lower right corner – he thwarted center midfielder Owen Swaney’s scoring chance in the 17^th minute.

While Walker told his team at halftime “someone had to step up” to win for Noble, Wainscott said the Jaguars needed to find space on the weak side of the midfield.

“There’s space in the midfield,” Wainscott said. “ … Try to find feet in the midfield.”

Conner had a couple second-half scoring chances in the 48^th minute, but shots from Dallas Marshall and Kellen Faulkner sailed wide. Dostal saved Pemberton’s shot in the 69^th minute.

The draw for next week’s Ninth Region tournament is scheduled for 9 a.m. Saturday at St. Henry. Defending region champion Covington Catholic, Cooper, 34^th District winner Dixie Heights and 36^th champion Highlands will host first-round games, while Conner, Newport Central Catholic, St. Henry and Beechwood will hit the road.

Holmes will host the semifinals (Oct. 15) and finals (Oct. 18).