Highlands girls soccer coach Kelsey Etherton might be rolling out the Ted Lasso costume Saturday.
With their 2-0 victory over Bishop Brossart on Tuesday at Tower Park in Fort Thomas, the Bluebirds earned the right to play on Halloween night on their home turf, advancing to the quarterfinals of the KHSAA state tournament.
Highlands got two goals from sophomore Ally Lickert, while Bailee Class and the Bluebirds’ back line shut down a high-powered Lady ‘Stangs offense to earn the clean sheet. Class finished with five saves.
Etherton even has the mustache ready, preparing to portray the character from the hit Apple TV series.
“I have one in my Amazon cart already,” Etherton said.
With Halloween falling on a Saturday this year, the quarterfinals will interrupt trick-or-treating for the Bluebirds. They are scheduled to host Russell at 7 p.m. Saturday. Russell advanced with a 3-1 win over Martin County in Tuesday’s first round.
It also means the Bluebirds get to host another game on their sparkling new field.
PHOTOS: Slideshow provided by Charles Bolton
“Being on our home field again, that is super exciting because last year those long bus trips were just so exhausting, yet they were still fun,” Class said. “But it is exhausting traveling, so I’m really grateful that we have this nice complex that we’re able to host that.”
Class said her back line executed the offsides trap to perfection, catching the Lady ‘Stangs offside seven times. Five of those calls came in the first half, including one that Brossart initially thought had given it the first goal of the night when Tessa Hafer put the ball in the back of the net.
“We were offsides by about four inches, so that one hurt,” Lady ‘Stangs coach Andy Smith said. “That would have changed the game, but this game is brutal sometimes.”
Lickert broke through in the 43rd minute, just after halftime, making a move around Lady ‘Stangs goalkeeper Emma Ritter before slotting the ball into the net.
Her second goal was an even prettier finish. From the edge of the box, Lickert fired a left-footed shot inside the post to double the Highlands lead.
“I just feel like they weren’t expecting it because no defender like was even close to me, and they probably just thought we were gonna cross it,” Lickert said.
Lickert, who has been playing with a broken thumb suffered a few weeks ago, has now scored in back-to-back games. She also found the net in Saturday’s regional championship victory over Ryle.
“She came up last year halfway through the year and she stepped up for us and she ended up finding a lot of goals for us in huge games in the postseason,” Etherton said. “And I think it’s evident that she’s going to do that again for us this year.”
Lickert’s sister, Maddy, is another of the walking wounded, playing through a broken nose after missing Saturday’s regional championship. After playing their fourth game in nine days, the Bluebirds will welcome some rest, with three days off before the quarterfinals.
Etherton thought fatigue played a role in a sluggish first half in which Highlands managed just two shots on target.
“We had a conversation at halftime about how difficult last week was,” Etherton said. “Fatigue in the first half really started to show. We talked about in halftime that when we’re tired, our best asset can be playing the ball to feet and being able to make the ball do the work, so that we can kind of take a step back and give ourselves a little bit of a breather.”
Brossart’s near-goal opportunity sparked some momentum for the Lady ‘Stangs heading into halftime, as they began finding chances on the counterattack.
Highlands quickly seized back control with Lickert’s goal, then added the insurance tally 19 minutes later to establish the two-goal cushion.
The shutout was a significant achievement against a Brossart team that entered the game averaging more than four goals per game during the regular season and more than seven per game in the postseason. The Lady ‘Stangs had been shut out just twice all season, with both games ending in 0-0 ties.
“The girls bought into it really early in the season (the offsides trap), and we saw a lot of success really early,” Etherton said. “And they’ve done a great job every single game of getting people offside. It’s been really, really fun to watch. Brossart’s speed is their biggest asset, and when you play the trap like we did, it turned out really beneficial for us.”
The shutout was Highlands’ 12th of the season. The Bluebirds have allowed just one goal across six postseason games.
Highlands finished with 13 shots, four on goal, while Brossart recorded nine shots, five on target.
The Lady ‘Stangs close their season at 17-6-3 and will graduate six seniors. The future remains bright, however, with leading goal scorers Kylie Smith and Rylee Fuller returning.
“As the season went on, they gelled a lot better,” Smith said. “Started to convert on the things that we work on in training to make the team stronger. Tonight just wasn’t our night.”
BLUEBIRDS 2, LADY ‘STANGS 0
BISHOP BROSSART — 0-0 — 0
HIGHLANDS — 0-2 — 2
Game Stats
Goals: (H) A. Lickert (43′), A. Lickert (62′)
Assists: (H) Deegen (43′)
Shots (On Goal): Brossart 9 (5), Highlands 13 (4)
Saves: Brossart 2 (Ritter), Highlands 5 (Class)
Corner Kicks: Brossart 3, Highlands 7
Fouls: Brossart 16, Highlands 10
Offsides: Brossart 7, Highlands 0
Records: Bishop Brossart 17-6-3, Highlands 17-6-1
