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2023 Soccer Champs
By Stacey Myers and Sam McClanahan
The Pendleton County Ladycats soccer team produced one of the most historic runs in recent memory as the team pulled off upset wins first over Harrison County followed by host school Mason County to earn their first 38th District Championship since 2014.
The Ladycats knocked off the Fillies of Harrison County in semifinal play on October 2 at Mason County. The Fillies entered the tournament as the eight-time defending champions and bested the Ladycats 2-1 in last year’s championship game. Pendleton County was determined to avoid a similar outcome this time around and would turn the tables by winning 2-1. Ladycat senior Jae Caudill gave her squad an early lead five minutes into the first half. Harrison County would respond with a goal of their own to tie the contest at 1-1 heading into halftime.
During the second half, the intensity and physicality ramped up as both teams looked to avoid a season-ending defeat. Midway through the half, Ladycat senior Cay Harper netted the go-ahead goal that proved to be the difference. Pendleton County knocks off the defending champs and in doing so became the first Ladycat team to notch two victories over Harrison County in the same season.
On October 4, the Ladycats would take on host school Mason County seeking their first district crown in nine years. The Ladycats and Lady Royals played to a 2-2 draw during the regular season so everyone in attendance anticipated a hard-fought war for the right to be called champions. What would unfold would be what most sports fans refer to as an “instant classic.” Mason County managed to control possession for the majority of the first half as they were able to create several shot attempts but came away empty-handed. With 10 minutes to play before the half, Ladycat Logan Cooper netted the games first goal giving Pendleton County a 1-0 lead. Later in the half, the Lady Royals would strike with a goal with two and a half minutes before halftime. But Pendleton County would quickly counter less than 90 seconds later when a corner kick opportunity resulted in an amazing goal by Ava Record as she headed the ball by the Mason County goalkeeper and into the net. The Ladycats would take a 2-1 lead into halftime.
During the second half, Cay Harper would give the Ladycats a 3-1 advantage as she maneuvered her way through the Lady Royals defense with 30 minutes left in regulation. But Mason County would not go down without one last rally. Over the next 25 minutes, the Lady Royals offense produced a pair of goals tying the game and seemingly gaining all the momentum.
They continued to put pressure on the Ladycats defense but the district title game would not be decided in regulation and the teams would head to overtime tied at three apiece.
Both teams would continue to battle through exhaustion for not one, but two five-minute overtime sessions under “sudden death” rules meaning the next score would determine a champion. However, neither club would be able to muster a winning score so the contest moved onto a shootout via penalty kicks. The Ladycats team would huddle around their head coach Aaron Harper and a decision would be made to replace senior goalkeeper Maddy Musk with Cay Harper. Harper has experience as a goalkeeper as she has played the position during her club soccer season last spring. She knew she would be up for the challenge in defending her team’s net in trying to clinch the title.
“I was ready to step in and do whatever it took to help us,” she said. “I feel like I have good instincts in being able to read a player’s eyes, hips and movements in stopping their shot attempts,” Harper explained.
Harper’s instincts in the box would pay off she thwarted multiple penalty kicks. She, along with fellow senior Jaelyn Caudill (two made penalty kicks) put the Ladycats in position for a championship-winning opportunity. The stage was set for junior defender Emily Fultz, who had not scored a goal throughout the entire season to step in as the next shot attempt for Pendleton County. Fultz would step in quickly and fire a kick that eluded the Lady Royals goalie and into the net, however; the official had not had time to make the signal to allow the shot attempt to be in play and Fultz would have to kick once again. With tensions reaching its apex, Fultz set up and fired again sending the ball past the goalkeeper and giving Pendleton County the championship. The final score would be 4-3 as the Ladycats pulled off one of the most impressive tournament runs in program history. The players ran to midfield to celebrate their historic win and Harper sprinted to her father for a hug that was many years in the making.
“Everything that has happened still seems crazy and unreal,” Cay Harper said. “We’ve been building up to this moment since my freshman year and we’ve all worked so hard. The nine seniors on this team all realized that this was going to be our last opportunity to make something happen. We were all very nervous to start this game and became exhausted by the end but we had to keep going. It’s very bittersweet to be able to celebrate this with my dad as the head coach. He’s been there for me through everything,” she explained.
Team head coach Aaron Harper now furthers cements his status as one of the greatest coaches not only in Pendleton County soccer history, but of the school’s varsity sports altogether. In less than a decade he has not collected five total district titles, four as Wildcats head coach, and now with the Ladycats. He says this championship has a special meaning to him due to the fact that the team had to gradually climb to his level over a course of four seniors, and that he accomplished this feat alongside his daughter, Cay.
“I told the girls at the beginning of the season that they would be district champs,” Coach Harper said. “For them to come out and achieve this goal makes me so honored to be their coach. A lot of these girls have been playing together for many years, and our seniors have laid the groundwork for success that this program can build from for years to come. This team plays its heart out and have worked hard for this, he added.
On October 7, the bracket for the 10th Region Tournament was revealed and the Ladycats received a first round bye in a field that features five other schools. Pendleton County will face the winner of the Bishop Brossart and Montgomery County matchup on October 11 at 8 p.m. This year’s tournament is being played at George Rogers Clark High School. The Ladycats will look to win their first regional tournament game since 2013 and keep their postseason run alive.