The regular season has come and gone for soccer teams throughout the commonwealth, with district tournament time just on the horizon.
For the boys in the 38th district, the tournament will kick off Tuesday evening at Harrison County High School, With Harrison County taking on Pendleton County at 6 p.m., and the Royals taking on the Saints immediately after.
St. Patrick has improved a lot from 2022 to 2023, improving on their winless season last year, to three wins this year. The Saints picked up their third win of the year last Saturday, against Menifee County, a team that in their last meeting earlier this year, won 6-1 over the Saints. The team also picked up a pair of wins over Covington Latin, their first in late August and then again last week.
Their opponent in the 38th district tournament will be a slightly tougher one however.
When they met in the regular season, the Royals took off against the Saints, winning 8-1 over St. Patrick back in August. The Saints have improved a lot since then however, and hope to stay in the fight against Mason County.
The Royals have had their fair share of ups and downs this season, starting off the year with a pair of at home wins against Holmes and Boyd County, losing to Rowan County in the Kentucky 2A section 6 tournament, and rolling to a 7-6-3 record in the regular season.
Having already defeated their first round district tournament opponent in the regular season, confidences are high at Mason County, but coach Shane Taylor knows anything can happen, and will spend the remainder of the weekend getting his team ready for anything.
Mason County has lost the 38th district championship game to Harrison County the last three years, having won it last in 2020 where they defeated the Thoroughbreds 2-0. The ‘Breds walked away from Mason County with a 4-0 victory over the Royals earlier this year, but Mason County will not go down without a fight.
The championship game will then be held Thursday, October 5 at 7 p.m.
The girls in the 38th will head to Mason County Intermediate School on Monday.
The Lady Royals and Lady Saints will kick off the night, with their game beginning at 6 p.m., followed by a Pendleton County and Harrison County contest.
The Lady Saints have struggled this season, walking away from 2023 with a 0-17-0 regular season record. This doesn’t mean the Lady Saints can’t compete however.
Goalkeeper Lillian Klee has racked up 248 saves on the year, averaging 16.5 per game. The team struggles on the offensive end, but can hold themselves together defensively. Regardless, their opponent heading into Monday night will be a tough one. When the two met earlier in the year, the Lady Royals defeated the Lady Saints 7-0, with Mason County goalkeeper Kaelynn Henning making no saves on the night.
The Lady Royals have had a strong 2023, rolling to a 9-4-2 record on the regular season, ending their year on a three game win streak over Villa Madonna, Fleming County and Paris. This year, the Lady Royals are hoping to advance further through the tournament than in 2022, where they fell to Pendleton County in the first round. Mason County is hoping to put an end to Harrison County’s title reign over the 38th district, and have the ability to do so.
The championship game will then be held Wednesday, October 4 at 7 p.m.
Soccer is the world’s most popular sport for a reason, and this week will pit some of the best of the best the area has to offer against one another. With championships on the line and regional bids up for grabs, each team will be playing their heart out on the field.
