The University Heights Academy Blazers took the first step Monday night towards the top seed in the 8th District boys soccer tournament. The Blazers took an early lead and then fended off a game effort from the Christian County Colonels to take a 2-1 win at the Stadium of Champions.
The Blazers had a huge advantage in the match in terms of shots on goal, but could not convert any of those chances into a goal after the 32:10 mark of the match. For the night, UHA outshot Christian County 25-9.
The Blazers got in front just four minutes into the match when Connor Dill took a corner kick and snuck it just past Christian County goalie Josh Settle to give UHA a 1-0 lead.
The first twenty minutes played out fairly even in terms of shots and possession, but over the rest of the half, the Blazers took control of both.
Dill would find the net again for UHA in the first half. This time at the 32:10 mark when he took the rebound of a missed shot and squeezed it between the keeper and the right goalpost to extend the UHA lead to 2-0, which is where the first half would come to an end.
The Colonels had a couple of chances of their own in the first half but just could not get them into the net.
Christian County would cut into the lead early in the second half. After a foul in the box, Bryan Linares scored the Colonels’ second goal of the season on a penalty kick to cut the lead to 2-1.
UHA had chances to extend the lead in the second half, but could not convert and put the Colonels away. Christian County only had four shots total in the second half, so the Colonels did not have many opportunities to tie the match. Linares would have one great look in the second, and just like his two great looks in the opening forty minutes, he was just barely off target.
The second half played out much like the first, with the Blazers pushing the ball up the field and controlling possession, but not being able to gain any separation from a gritty bunch of Colonels. Both Josh Settle and Quinton Quarles had solid nights in goal for their respective teams.
UHA improves to 4-2 with the win, which was the Blazers’ third in a row. UHA will now host Apollo Saturday afternoon.
Christian County drops to 0-4-1 for the season. The Colonels hit the road Saturday to take on Graves County.
