Madison Central shuts down No. 1 LexCath for first girls soccer region title since 2004

With 11:43 to play in the second half of regulation, Madison Central goalie Abby Moore exited this year’s 11th Region girls soccer championship game — one that would eventually end with penalty kicks and see the Indians knock off the No. 1 team in the state — due to injury.

The all-tournament team keeper for the Indians (15-3-1) had been the difference in the first half against defending 11th Region champion Lexington Catholic (23-2-1), stopping every one of the several shots on goal the Knights sent her way. But when a lingering injury from Wednesday’s semifinal victory over Frederick Douglass became too much, it was time for senior Becca Gordon to defend the goal.

“I knew Becca could get it done,” Moore said. “I had faith in her. I know how much this would mean to her. I didn’t want to go out, I didn’t want to let my team down. I didn’t want to do all that, but at some point I just can’t let this get worse.”

The goalie tandem of Moore and Gordon have split playing time all season, and they were each prepared to step up and carry the responsibility in one of the biggest games of their soccer careers. And despite the grueling 80 minutes, plus two five-minute overtime periods and PKs, that preparation is a major reason why a Lexington team won’t be in the girls state soccer tournament for the first time since 2008.

“I’m not gonna lie,” Gordon said. “At the beginning of the game I was slightly nervous I wasn’t gonna go in … And I didn’t want to go into PKs. No keeper ever does. We’ve worked on them in practice and stuff, but I was always more confident in Abby than myself.”

Following Wednesday’s semifinal win over Douglass, Madison Central’s roster was optimistic about facing the Knights. But it wasn’t until Lexington Catholic failed to capitalize on a first half penalty kick — the first of two opportunities during regulation — that Moore knew her team would come out on top and take what would become Madison Central’s first girls soccer region title since 2004.

“I was thinking, ‘I have to stop this’,” Moore said. “‘I cannot let my seniors down. I can’t let my team down. We need this. We deserve it.’ And then after I stopped the PK, that’s when it clicked, like we can beat them.”

Lexington Catholic, which had won seven of the previous eight 11th Region titles, also had not lost an 11th Region game in general in several years. This season alone, the Knights recorded 18 shutouts, dominating the majority of their opponents. Notably, only one other of the Knights’ games this season ended in a shootout — a 2-1 victory over Assumption in mid-September.

“My parents always tell me, it’s not on the keeper for the PK, it’s for the shooter, but there’s still pressure on the keeper,” Gordon said. “… I’ve always said PKs don’t really reflect how the player is through shots, but just coming out here and doing it, I was like, ‘I need to be confident, I need to be here for my team.’ Like whenever we do practices and we practice PKs, I get down on myself if I miss one, but I was like, ‘I can’t do that. I need to keep fighting for it.’”

Lexington Catholic went 0-for-3 in penalty kicks during the shootout in addition to missing those two in-game opportunities. Though the cold wind was certainly a factor for everyone, Moore and Gordon were ultimately the difference.

After a first half which saw Lexington Catholic dominating both possession time and shots on goal, the Indians made key adjustments that allowed them to better contain the Knights. Less pressure was on Moore, and later Gordon, to make big stops because Madison Central had a much better handle on the game.

Third-year Indians coach Steven Nash said his team has worked its way to a new level, one where the Indians could hold their own with any other opponent.

“I think, you know, we’re at the point now where we can play with anyone in the state,” Nash said. “And it’s just a matter of having a little self belief and having that confidence when you step on the field.”

But it can be difficult to have that confidence when you step into a high-pressure situation, particularly one so personal. This matchup was a shot at redemption after falling 8-0 to the Knights in the 11th Region title game last season, and 2-0 in the 11th Region semifinals in 2021. It was a chance to finally break through and make it to the state tournament.

And nobody was more confident stepping on the field than Madison Central senior Adria Anderson, who was tasked with taking what would be the final penalty kick of the game. Both Emilee Hall and 11th Region Tournament MVP Natalie Knecht had made theirs already, and Madison Central’s lone missed PK ended up not mattering.

“Oh, I’m so confident,” Anderson said of the moment she readied to take her PK. “I’m so confident. My team, they came up to me after and they were like, ‘Adria, we all knew you were gonna make that.’ … I’m pretty confident when it comes to it. I just don’t like to let it get to me.”

On Monday evening, Madison Central will face 12th Region champion Boyle County (18-5-1) in the first round of the state tournament. And though they’ll prepare for this game just as they have all the others this season, the Indians will also take a second to appreciate and celebrate their accomplishment. After all, it was hard-fought, and, most certainly, earned.

“It means everything,” Knecht said. “Stepping out of the car getting out here, I was thinking about how we’ve played Catholic, one way or another, to end our season for the past two years that I’ve been here. And, you know, I was ready to go get one. And I can’t believe we did it. We pulled it off.”

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