By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
The Newport Central Catholic girls’ soccer team won the Kentucky All “A” Classic small-school state tournament for the second time in three years with dramatic victories in the final two rounds on Saturday and Sunday at Capitol View Park in Frankfort.
In the semifinals, NewCath faced Owensboro Catholic, the top-ranked team in the tournament, and won the match, 3-2, in a penalty kick shootout. In the championship match, NewCath had to protect a one-goal lead for most of the second half before posting a 4-2 win over Lexington Christian.
“We knew we had a tough road ahead of us when got down there,” said NewCath coach Kevin Turnick. “This team, they were just focused. They weren’t going to go down there and settle for anything less than first place.”
The Thoroughbreds boosted their season record to 17-0 with three victories in the eight-team state tournament. They won their opening round match against Oneida Baptist, 10-0, on Saturday morning.
NewCath let a 2-0 lead slip away in their semifinal match on Saturday evening and Owensboro Catholic tied the score with less than six minutes left to force the penalty kick shootout.
“We came so close to winning it in regulation and then you kind of worry about their mindset going into PKs,” Turnick said of his team. “But it didn’t seem to faze them. They weren’t going to lose that game.”
NewCath junior forward Taylor Tolle was named most valuable player on the state all-tournament team. She scored six goals in three matches, including two in the championship final against Lexington Christian. She also converted a penalty kick in the semifinal shootout.
The other NewCath players named to the all-tournament team were senior defender Ansley Davenport, senior forward Donnelly Simmins, junior goalkeeper Meg Martin and freshman midfielder Kara Zimmerman.
Tolle and Davenport were also named to the Kentucky All “A” Classic state all-tournament team in 2013 after NewCath won the title.
Kentucky Country Day edged Lexington Sayre, 3-2, in the championship match of the boys’ state tournament on Sunday. In the semifinals, Kentucky Country Day defeated Bishop Brossart, 2-1, in a penalty kick shootout. The Brossart players named to the boys’ state all-tournament team were senior defender Dylan Geiman and senior midfielder Sam Parnell.
The Kentucky High School Athletic Association post-season playoffs for boys’ and girls’ soccer are scheduled to begin on Oct. 12.