In recent years, the HC Boys’ Soccer team has made a great run in the postseason, and this season was no exception. The team made it to the 42nd District tournament finals where they defeated Bryan Station High School. Both teams advanced to the Region 11 tournament and faced each other again in the regional finals. Unfortunately, HC lost and their season came to a close.
The team took home the state title in a championship game against Louisville Collegiate last year. Regardless, this season still ranks high among others at HC.
“Well, it’s definitely one of the better seasons,” senior Connor Taylor said. “Obviously, last year, we won state, so not the best. I feel like this group is definitely really talented [and] definitely could have won it all. But it’s just the way the cookie crumbles sometimes – you don’t always win.”
After beating Bryan Station in the district championship, HC knew that they would be facing tough competition in the region tournament. One key difference between the district and region championship games was the prevalence of injuries among HC players.
“We just played,” Taylor said. “I mean, the injuries suck, but it’s a part of the game. It’s part of life. [ … ] We had a couple juniors get some more playing time than normal. We had a couple of people start that didn’t normally start. So, obviously, it was a little bit different, but for the most part, we still had our core squad of people who started. We still, I think, had nine starters out of our 11.”
With changes on the field and a defensive-heavy match, the region championship went into double-overtime and then into a penalty kick shootout.
“I was nervous,” Taylor said. ”We missed a couple big chances and our keeper suffered an injury in the game prior. He hurt a rib. And then, obviously, our fourth [penalty kick] we missed, and we ended up losing. It was just unfortunate that it kind of just fell into the hands of PKs. And obviously, they probably had less injuries, which definitely helped, and their keeper is pretty good at guessing [where the shot is going].”
Although the season’s close was not what the Blue Devils had hoped for, Taylor and other seniors leave behind a legacy of determination and competitive nature on the field.
