Luke Neltner charges toward the goal in the 10th Region semifinal game on Oct. 14, 2025.
Noah Gardner works his way down the field against the Bishop Brossart Mustangs in the 10th Region semifinal game on Oct. 14, 2025.
MOUNT STERLING, Ky. — The Mason County Royals competed against the Bishop Brossart Mustangs in the semifinal round of the 10th Region boys’ soccer tournament on Tuesday, Oct. 14.
After winning their second consecutive 38th District championship last Thursday, Oct. 9, against the Pendleton County Wildcats, Mason County earned a first-round bye for the regional tournament and began preparing to face either the Mustangs or the George Rogers Clark (GRC) Cardinals.
Brossart defeated GRC 4-1 in the quarterfinal round Sunday, Oct. 12, and returned to the pitch at Montgomery County on Tuesday night, ready for the Royals.
“We switched up our formations a little bit, tried to do something we had seen that worked well against them,” Royals head coach Shane Taylor said. “They just got a really good team. They’re solid. We made some mistakes and they capitalized on them. I felt good going into the half at 1-0, but when you play good teams 1-0, it can quickly go from one to three.”
Brossart’s first goal of the night came quickly in the first half, giving the Mustangs a 1-0 lead over the Royals. This lead remained throughout the last 30 minutes of the half, with the Royals’ defense, led by goalkeeper Landon Frederick, holding off the Mustangs’ strikers. However, Mason County was unable to score in the first half.
“We felt like we were still in it. We did give it up quick, I don’t think it was a stupid mistake. The way I look at it, we’re 0-0 coming out of this half. All we gotta do is put one on the board,” Coach Taylor said. “We had a nice try, Talence came up just a little high.”
The Mustangs quickly extended their lead in the second half, with two goals by Max Runge extending Brossart’s lead 3-0. The Royals continued to push throughout the remainder of the contest; unfortunately for them, Brossart scored two more goals by the end of the game, one by Jorge Del Castillo and the other by Austin Combs.
“Two nice plays by them, a couple mistakes on our part and it’s 3-0. And then, it’s rough,” Coach Taylor said.
A lack of goals by Mason County secured a 5-0 shutout victory for the Mustangs, and their advancement to the 10th Region championship game Thursday evening.
This loss marks the end of the 2025 season for Mason County and their year as district champs, with a 10-9-1 season record. As the season comes to a close, the Royals will lose four seniors that have been instrumental to the program’s success throughout Coach Taylor’s tenure: Noah Gardner, Jeremiah Bisotti, Noah Ard and Talence Jarrell.
“I’m so proud of them. They’ve worked their butts off all year long. Through practice, through games, they’ve always been there, always supporting each other. I couldn’t be prouder of them, I’m gonna miss them an awful lot. This team will miss them, they’ve definitely been a main part of this team all year,” Coach Taylor said.
Despite the loss, Coach Taylor expressed his pride in the program’s successes throughout 2025.
“It is definitely a tough loss. We’ve played really good teams and I felt like we could compete in the beginning, but this loss doesn’t take away from what these boys have accomplished this year, and I’m so proud of them,” Coach Taylor said. “After losing 10 seasons, then turning around and coming back to win another district title, it’s great.”
Following this win, the Mustangs returned to the field last night for the 10th Region Championship game, hoping for their shot at a regional title and a bid to the KHSAA State Boys’ soccer tournament. Brossart took the field against the Montgomery County Indians on their home field at 6:30 p.m.
