The girls’ soccer 5th-District championship match will have a familiar feel, with Trigg County and Lyon County meeting with the trophy on the line for the fourth-straight season. The Lady Wildcats punched their ticket with a 5-1 win over hosts Crittenden County on Tuesday night, behind a pair of goals by speedster DeDe Barbee.
The Lady Rockets utilized a high defensive trap against the speedy Lady Wildcats and paid dearly, following a 5-2 regular-season loss with a season-ending four-goal setback.
However, it was a long-range shot that got Trigg County off the mark, with Olivia Noffsinger netting a 35-yard free-kick with just over ten minutes played. Barbee broke through the Lady Rocket trap to double the advantage a short time later, and the Lady Wildcats looked to be on their way to an easy victory.
But it was the Lady Rockets that got on the board next, with Elizabeth Campbell poking home a loose ball in the Trigg box after a free-kick by Jaelyn Duncan. Crittenden looked to have wrestled away the momentum right before the halftime break, but with less than two minutes to play, Barbee again got behind the Lady Rocket defense and scored for a 3-1 edge.
Trigg was in total control in the second half, and the lead was 4-1 eight minutes in when Barbee provided a through ball for Lania Hite to run onto and score. Alyssa Southwood put the finishing touch on the semifinal win, breaking down the left wing and finding the far side-netting with her right foot.
The Lady Wildcats head into Thursday’s final in search of their first district title since 2017. They did not score against Lyon County in two regular-season meetings, falling 3-0 each time. Trigg will ride a four-game winning streak into the match with the Lady Lyons.
