BY BRITTNI MCCOY
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
PAINTSVILLE — Martin County finished the season 10-3 in the Region on Thursday versus Johnson Central. The Eagles snuck away with a 3-2 win in the 15th Region Championship thriller.
Faith Caldwell scored both goals for the Cardinals. Vittoria Dellmotta saved an astonishing 15 goals at keeper.
Despite the loss, head coach Steven Gauze is nothing but proud of what the girls did this year.
“What an exciting season for the Lady Cards. We graduated eight starters last year so nobody expected us to be good. But they showed up, worked hard and most of all pulled together as a team to win games. We won the All ‘A’ 15th Region tournament making us back-to-back champs; hosted the first-ever state tournament game in Martin County beating W. Carter. We advanced all the way to the Elite Eight of the All ‘A’ State Tournament in Louisville.
Next we won the Ky Farm Bureau Cup game against Pikeville to give us momentum for the Super Region,” Gauze said.
On the 3-2 loss to the Eagles, “We advanced to the championship game of the Super Region but came up one goal short. They gave it everything they could to win which is why I have really enjoyed coaching them this year. Seeing these girls accomplish all this when other teams were way more experienced shows how much determination they had to win.”
Martin County will have a large roster turnover with losing nine seniors.
“I have coached Laura Hale since youth league. She has been one of the top players in the 15th Region for four years. She has great skill and really knows the game. This season was rough at times and she stepped up her game, leading this team like a true senior. This program will miss having her on the field,” Gauze said of Hale.
The Cardinal senior has made the All-District or All-Region every year. Last year she made the All-State team.
Grace Caldwell had a rough season battling injuries that limited her running all year.
“Despite her injuries, she refused to quit, never complained and I really depended on her in tournaments,” the head coach said about the senior.
Kaylee Endicott played for the first time this season, but you would never know it.
“She quickly became one of my best defenders and I always played her against the other team’s best players. How I wish she would have played sooner,” Gauze said.
Lexi Sammons played for Coach Gauze in the youth league but played other sports in high school until this year.
“I have to give her credit because I moved her to almost every position on the field, but she never complained,” coach Gauze said.
He continued to brag on his group of seniors: “The foreign exchange students Vittoria, Malin, Solene, Ida, and Jolene had never played soccer. Vittoria was my goalkeeper all year and did a great job. So good she made the All-Region team. Malin played defender and won the starting position about six games into the season. She is fast and physical and did a great job.”
Carrying on the senior praise, “Solene played wing but didn’t play too much but had the best quote of the year. She said, ‘I don’t get to play much but I understand that I have to work harder and get better to get to play.’ As a coach you wish everybody had that kind of attitude. Jolene played defender and joined the team later in the season. Like the others, she never complained but was so much fun to have on the field. This team wouldn’t have been complete without Ida.”