soccer

On Monday, the First Region high school soccer season began with an action-packed doubleheader between the McCracken County Mustangs and St. Mary Vikings. The Mustangs and Lady Mustangs won back-to-back 8-0 victories, sweeping the Vikings on their home field.

“It was an opportunity to see some guys on the field that we haven’t been able to in a while, so it was fun to see them in action,” McCracken County head coach Michael Wiersema said. “It felt like for a younger team, we got done a lot faster than we did last year. We’re still finding our way, and this weekend will tell us a lot against Lafayette and Henry Clay.”

In the first contest of the night, the Mustangs jumped on the scoreboard within the first two minutes courtesy of a scorching goal by Eli Riley to make it 1-0. The score extended to 2-0 within minutes of Riley’s goal. Lenny Garcia continued to add to the pressure from the Mustangs, dropping the third goal for McCracken County. Then, 27 minutes into the contest, Dexter Pacheco moved it to 4-0.

Garcia snagged his second goal at the 30-minute, making it 5-0. One more goal came in courtesy of Grant Seaton, making it 6-0 ahead of halftime.

Despite St. Mary’s attempts to break up McCracken County’s boisterous offensive in the first half, the Vikings could not keep their opponents on defense long enough to put a dent into the scoreboard. McCracken County goalkeeper Lane Grace finished with one save in his outing, not allowing a single goal.

In the second half of the contest, Maks Hazel quickly made it 7-0 at 42 minutes. The final goal of the matchup game from Maks Hazel to end the contest ahead of the regulated time with an 8-0 victory.

Maks Hazel and Garcia each collected two goals. Maks Hazel finished with two assists. Seaton, Pacheco, Riley, and Jake Hazel each had a goal. Riley, Brady Hayden, and Julian Warfield each had an assist. Mason Atnip finished with two assists.

LADY MUSTANGS 8, LADY VIKINGS 0

Much like the boys’ game, the Lady Mustangs defeated the Lady Vikings in an 8-0 victory with all hands on deck in the contest from top to bottom on offense.

Right out of the gate, sophomore Maddy Ledgerwood posted the first goal for the Mustangs at the 39:30 mark. Despite jumping ahead 1-0, the Lady Mustangs found themselves against a pesky Viking defense early. Nine minutes after the goal from Maddy Ledgerwood, senior Katelyn Heider moved the scoreboard to a 2-0 lead for McCracken County.

With 18 minutes left on the clock in the first half, senior Savannah McDowell scored on an assist by Kiera Tynes. The Lady Mustangs held on to the 3-0 lead until Maddy Ledgerwood collected her second goal of the night with an assist from Makenzie Burgett.

The contest remained at 4-0 as the first half ended and the second began. The following three goals came courtesy of Audrey Estes, who collected her first regular season hat trick early this fall. Estes was assisted by Tynes and Brisa Perez on two of the three goals, giving the Lady Mustangs a 7-0 lead with plenty of time remaining in the second half. With seven minutes left in regulation, Payton Ledgerwood cruised one in to make it 8-0 with an assist by Heider and conclude the contest.

Estes led the team with three goals in the win for McCracken County. Heider, McDowell, and Payton Ledgerwood collected a goal a piece. Maddy Ledgerwood finished with two goals. Tynes finished with two assists while Heider, Perez, and Burgett collected one assist a piece.

UP NEXT: The McCracken County Mustangs will have their season home opener at Mercy Health Field on Tuesday against Calloway County before traveling to face Henry Clay and Lafayette this weekend. The Lady Mustangs will travel to Owensboro this weekend to tackle South Warren and Owensboro Catholic.