Not much was going right for the Highlands girls soccer team through the first 12 games of the season. Sitting at 3-8-1 after a 3-1 loss to Campbell County on Sept. 15, the Bluebirds were still searching for their identity.
Fast forward a month and a half, the identity has been found and mastered and that same Highlands team is now one win away from a state championship.
The Bluebirds punched their ticket to Saturday’s KHSAA State Championship match with a dramatic 4-2 victory in penalty kicks over Central Hardin (17-8) on Tuesday night at Paul Laurence Dunbar, following a 1-1 draw through regulation and two overtime periods.
What’s got them here? Consistency.
“We were playing good soccer and if we continued our game plan and set the tone of the game, we could find success,” Bluebirds coach Kelsey Etherton said. “We continued to work, we continued to try and execute our game plan, and we got better and better at executing it, and now we’re playing for the state finals.”
Goalkeeper Bailee Class was the hero on Wednesday, stopping Central Hardin’s final two penalty attempts before calmly burying the game-clinching kick herself in the fifth round, sparking a sideline eruption and sending Highlands to its first title game since 2019.
“Just had to trust my gut and rely on myself,” Class said. “We just came together as a team. Just put all of our minds straight, focused back on soccer and just worked all together for our seniors and just all of our coaches.”
Wednesday’s semifinal was played in miserable conditions, with a cold, steady rain making the turf slick and unpredictable. Both teams struggled to create clean scoring chances in the first half, combining for just two shots on goal — both harmless long-range attempts from Central Hardin that Class handled easily.
Highlands began to assert control after halftime. In the 56th minute, Reese Wilkens sent a driven cross into the box that found the feet of Hope Darnell, who slipped a pass to Ally Lickert for the finish and a 1-0 Bluebirds lead.
PHOTOS: Slideshow provided by Charles Bolton
“The conditions had a lot to do with what was happening today,” Etherton said. “It was hard for us to adjust. But once we came out in the second half I felt we adjusted and dominated the second half. We had possession, more shots on goal.”
The celebration was short-lived, as Central Hardin responded just three minutes later. Off a corner kick, Carly Lang headed home a perfect cross from Addison Maddock to level the match at 1-1.
From there, Highlands dictated possession and tempo but couldn’t convert several late chances. The game extended through two tense overtime periods before heading to penalty kicks — a moment that felt eerily familiar for the Bluebirds, who were eliminated in last year’s first round by Lexington Catholic on penalties.
“Being in that situation last year with Lex Cath and coming out on the other side of it, she (Class) just doesn’t let it get to her anymore,” Etherton said. “I knew that she could handle the pressure of the fifth kick. I know that she can handle the pressure in the goal, and she’s so agile and athletic. You can quote me on this, ‘She’s the best keeper in the state.’ I will double down on that, and I think she proved it today.”
This time, though, the ending was different.
“I knew 100% Bailee was going to be our last kicker,” Etherton said. “She’s so calm and confident and collected.
After two rounds, Highlands trailed 2-1 — Hailey Fritz had converted, while Darnell’s opening attempt was saved. Then the Bluebirds caught fire. Tenley Graves and Wilkens buried their shots, while Class came up huge with back-to-back saves to put Highlands ahead 3-2 after four rounds.
That set the stage for Class herself, stepping to the spot with the chance to end it. The senior delivered, slotting her kick past the Central Hardin keeper to clinch the 4-2 shootout win and send Highlands back to the state final.
“This is my first year taking one,” Class said of the penalty kick attempt. “I was just like why not? I’ve been bugging coach about it.”
The win continues an improbable late-season surge for Highlands, which has now won 12 of its last 14 matches after its 3-8-1 start. The Bluebirds (now 15-9-2) will try for their first state championship since 2006, when they won back-to-back titles in 2005 and 2006. It marks the program’s sixth trip to the state final, having finished runner-up in 2008, 2018, and 2019.
Highlands will face the winner of Wednesday’s second semifinal between Lexington Catholic and Sacred Heart in Saturday’s 7 p.m. title match at Lexington SC Stadium.
From five games under .500 to one win away from the state crown, the Bluebirds have found their identity — and made sure everyone else in Kentucky knows it, too.
“Just continuing to practice our game plan,” Etherton said. “Like I said earlier in the season, we were working really hard to try and play the way that we wanted to play and set the tone of the game. It started working, and that’s what got us here. Just continuing to play the way that we we play and make sure that we can come out on Saturday and set the tone.”