CITIZEN STAFF REPORT
PAINTSVILLE — Martin County Middle School girls soccer defeated Johnson Central 3-2 in overtime to claim the 57th District championship Thursday at Johnson Central.
The Lady Cards entered postseason play tied for first place.
Below is a recap of the action:
MC 7, LC 1
Host Johnson Central started the district tournament May 9 by defeating Adams Middle School 9-0. Martin County was up next, taking on Lawrence County.
Martin County Coach Steven Gauze said he was concerned coming into the game as the Lady Cards’ opponent canceled the final week of the regular season, leaving them without a game.
Lawrence County was aggressive from the first whistle, while the Lady Cards could not capitalize on the few chances they had for the first 20 minutes of the game.
A penalty by the Bulldogs led to a penalty kick scored by Faith Caldwell late in the first half. The goal sparked the Lady Cardinal offense with goals by Annaleigh Davis and another by Caldwell to end the half 3-0.
The second half started badly for the Cards, who had two penalties in the box leading to two penalty kicks for Lawrence County. The Bulldogs scored on 1-of-2 to keep the game close.
After the second penalty kick, the Martin County offense went to work.
Caldwell scored two goals over the next five minutes, followed quickly by Jazzlyn Jude.
Caldwell finished off the Bulldogs with a perfect free kick from 26 yards to end the game 7-1 and advance to the championship.
Championship
The championship game against Johnson Central was exciting. The Lady Cards trailed 2-0 at halftime but scored three in a row in the second half for the 3-2 comeback victory.
The teams had met twice during the regular season, each coming away with a win. In the end, the championship game lived up to expectations.
The first half started with both teams moving the ball and taking shots. The defense for both teams held their opponents out of the goal for most of the half.
Late in the first half the Lady Cards scored an own goal to give the Eagles the lead 1-0.
Johnson Central found the back of the net, scoring off a corner kick to end the half with a 2-0 lead.
At halftime, Coach Gauze emphasized the need for “more energy on the field and sticking to the game plan.”
The second half saw the Lady Cards come out playing at a faster tempo and with more energy. The Lady Cards quickly moved the ball up the field for a perfectly timed pass from Jazzlyn Jude to Faith Caldwell, who found the back of the net to keep it close 2-1.
Martin County continued to push forward on offense and got shots on goal but could not find the net. With only 1:45 left on the clock, Faith Caldwell found Annaleigh Davis, who beat two defenders and the keeper to tie the score 2-2 and put the game into overtime.
Overtime rules are two five-minute halves. Golden goal rules apply to each half, meaning if either team scores, the game is over regardless of time.
The Eagles won the coin toss and chose to defend. The Lady Cards moved the ball around looking for a chance to score. Two minutes into overtime Hope Caldwell found her sister Faith Caldwell, who scored the game-winning goal for the district championship.
“This was the most exciting district game I have ever coached,” Gauze said. “We didn’t play well the first half and were down 2-0 by halftime. Under those circumstances, most teams would have given up, but I have never seen this team give up. They came out in the second half and had an amazing comeback. Words just can’t describe how it felt when the final goal went in or a more exciting way to win the district championship.”
The Lady Cards will advance to the OVC conference tournament at East Carter Middle School this week. The top 6 teams will battle it out for the conference title. The Lady Cards have a bye in the first round advancing to the final four. They will play the winner of Rowan County and Ashland on May 17.