It’s a rivalry match that will soon be no more. The Hopkinsville Tigers hooked up with the Christian County Colonels Tuesday night on the pitch at the Stadium of Champions. With the announced merger of Hopkinsville High School and Christian County High School, there is a very limited number of opportunities for these matchups to take place.
Tuesday night, a two-minute span of the first half ended up deciding the match. Hoptown scored two goals from 23:30 to 25:30 and then held off the Christian County Colonels 2-1 to pick up a key district win.
The first half was controlled by the Tigers in terms of shots and ball possession. That control paid off at the 23:30 mark when Layton Mason headed in a corner kick to give Hoptown a 1-0 lead.
The Tigers added to the lead just two minutes later when Ayden Higgins got behind Christian County goalie Josh Settle and found the net to make the score 2-0. That would still be the score at the halftime break.
The second half was played out more evenly in terms of shots and ball possession as the Christian County Colonels cranked up the pressure on their attack. The Colonels finally got on the scoreboard at the 67:00 mark when the Tigers were called for a hand ball in the box. Bryan Linares drilled the penalty kick to cut the lead to 2-1.
However, the Colonel rally would end with that score. Both teams had chances over the final 13 minutes, but neither could convert on those opportunities.
The win was the third in a row for Hopkinsville. They wrap up the season Thursday when they travel to Fort Campbell.
Christian County continues to look for their first win of the season. They end the regular season Thursday when they host the Todd County Central Rebels. The Colonels who stand 0-3 in the district, lost all three district games by only one goal each.
With the result, the pairings are locked in for the 8th District tournament. UHA will face off against Christian County in one semifinal, while Hopkinsville and Fort Campbell will match up in the other.
