The University Heights Academy girls’ soccer team lost 3-1 to the Henderson County Lady Colonels in the semifinals of the 2nd Region Tournament on Wednesday night in Madisonville. The Lady Blazers have now been knocked out of the postseason by Henderson the last three seasons.
Junior forward Maddie Griggs put the Lady Colonels on top 4 minutes into the game when she broke through the Lady Blazer defense and scored from close range. Griggs would double the lead with under 5 minutes left in the half, beating a defender off the dribble and finishing to the near post.
UHA came out in the second half and controlled the game for the first 20 minutes, but struggled to get clear looks at the Lady Colonel goal. Shortly after the half began, junior Lilly Strader dropped into the midfield to facilitate the Lady Blazer offense, with freshman Kate Cansler moving to forward. Senior Alli Cundiff, normally in a deep midfield position, was forced to play deeper than normal in an attempt to neutralize Griggs.
They went back and forth with the Lady Colonels having a few good chances, before Griggs broke through 40 yards from goal with Cundiff trying to chase her down. Cundiff was forced to foul from behind to stop the scoring chance, earning a yellow card and giving the Lady Colonels a penalty kick. Maddie Griggs finished her hat trick, scoring to the lower right of the goal to put the game out of reach with 15 minutes remaining.
The Lady Blazers continued to push hard to get on the scoreboard, and their effort paid off with less than 2 minutes remaining when a Lady Colonel defender turned a Strader cross into her own goal for the final 3-1 margin.
The Lady Blazers finish with a 16-4 record, an 8th District Championship, and a run to the semifinals of the All “A” Classic. The 16 wins equals the school mark set last year.
