Daviess County Is The 2016 Boys Soccer State Champion

Congratulations to Daviess County!

After regulation ended 1-1 and two scoreless overtimes, they beat Covington Catholic 6-5 in the 8th round of penalty kicks.

Final State Championship game should never be decided by PKs.

Final State Championship game should never be decided by PKs.

It's a bummer for the Colonels, no doubt...but that's the game of soccer.

Great effort by the defending champs as they didn't give up the title easily. Congrats to Daviess County as they have a great team and are deserving champions. PKs are part of soccer and as distasteful as they are, it's how it's done everywhere. Well done by CCH on a near miss repeat.

Great run for CCH and what a career for the seniors!

From the Louisville Courier-Journal:

Daviess Co. upends Covington Catholic in penalty kicks

By Daniel Karell November 5, 2016

Daviess County High School’s boys soccer team thought it had won the boys soccer state tournament in overtime.

A glancing header by senior midfielder Tommy Booker found the back of the net in the first period of extra time, setting off celebrations for the Panthers players and fans in the crowd. But it wasn’t to be. Booker was ruled offside, and the goal was called off.

Covington Catholic (22-6-2) made Daviess Co. (27-1) wait, but the Panthers pulled it out in the end in dramatic fashion in a penalty kick shootout, winning 2-1 (6-5 in PKs) over the defending champions to take home the state title . Daviess Co. goalkeeper Tyler Croft saved Jacob Blom’s attempt, setting the table for Booker to write his name in history. Booker sent Colonels goalkeeper Thomas Cody the wrong way and scored on a low strike into the left corner before wheeling off to the right, peeling off his shirt, and joining the mob of teammates celebrating on the field.

Great game. Bummer result from the CCH side.

Daviess County is a great team. Top to bottom extremely talented.

Same with CCH, great run. Remember , only two teams were left playing last night. Be proud that you were one and the fantastic showing the entire year.

From the Lexington Herald-Leader:

Boys’ state soccer finals: Daviess County wins a thriller

BY JOSH MOORE

It took 10 extra minutes and eight rounds of shootout kicks, but Daviess County emerged victorious over Covington Catholic in the KHSAA Boys’ Soccer State Tournament finals Saturday night at Bryan Station.

The Panthers, playing in their second state title game, won their first championship after besting Covington Catholic 6-5 in the penalty shootout. Each team made three of their first five kicks, forcing a sudden-death scenario.

Covington Catholic connected on attempts No. 6 and 7 but Daviess County was able to match. The Colonels missed their eighth try, setting up Tommy Booker’s game-winning goal on Daviess County’s next effort.

From the Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer:

Panthers makes history: Daviess win PK shootout thriller for state title

By MADDIE LEE Messenger-Inquirer

LEXINGTON -- Daviess County midfielder Tommy Booker stood before the ball on the penalty kick line. If he made it, his team would win state. If he missed, he would have blown one of the Panthers' best chances to end the game after two overtime periods and two rounds of penalty kicks.

"We'd been practicing (penalty kicks) all postseason at practice every day," Booker said. "So you just have to think like it's practice. Pass in the back of the net."

From the Cincinnati Enquirer:

CovCath loses state title in PKs

James Weber 11:13 p.m. EDT November 5, 2016

LEXINGTON - The Covington Catholic soccer team was trying to look at the bright side after a crushing defeat, trying to remember that they were playing the game they loved.

The Colonels (22-5-2) lost 6-5 in penalty kicks to Daviess County (26-1) in the KHSAA state championship game Saturday night at Bryan Station High School. Daviess won in the third extra round after its keeper, Tyler Croft, saved a CovCath attempt to start the round.

“We haven’t been down a goal in the tournament but we fought hard and scored one and from there we were duking it out,” said CCH head coach Jeremy Robertson. “I was telling these guys: Soccer’s a cruel game but that’s why we love it.”

The teams were tied 3-3 after the first five kicks. CovCath made the last three after going 0-for-2 to start. Thomas Cody saved Daviess’ last kick, which would have won the title then.

The teams went to sudden death. Both teams made their first two before Croft saved CovCath’s eighth kick, then the Panthers delivered in their final round.

“It’s been a great year,” said CovCath senior Michael Vogt. “I thought we had an extra life. That’s the thing about this game, it can be painful, but that’s why we play it.”

“Daviess County is a good team,” Robertson said. “They played a great game. We had our chances. We could have finished one or two early on and we didn’t.”

It's a bummer for the Colonels, no doubt...but that's the game of soccer.

Why does it have to be? There is no school the next day. They play two mini OTs......why not expand that? Don't tell me that there is an injury risk or a tired factor. Baseball State Final can go as many innings as necessary as can every game prior to that one. Basketball can go OT after OT after OT. Football the same. So why would soccer not do the same?

The "beautiful game" is broken. It's an overall bad product, and one that adds absurdity to selecting an overtime winner.

Two Golden Goal OT periods fine. Then in the third play with no keeper, or play with two balls - something, anything but PKs which provide devastation to the loser and a hollow sense of accomplishment for the winner.

The "beautiful game" is broken. It's an overall bad product, and one that adds absurdity to selecting an overtime winner.

 

Two Golden Goal OT periods fine. Then in the third play with no keeper, or play with two balls - something, anything but PKs which provide devastation to the loser and a hollow sense of accomplishment for the winner.

Totally disagree. Sure, it can be heartbreaking for the vanquished, but everyone knows those are the rules.

I've said it many times...it's not our game. Until the rest of the world (i.e. FIFA) decides to change the rules, we (i.e. Americans) need to learn that PKs are a part of the game. Many teams don't even practice PKs. Sounds like Davies did.

Congrats to both teams.

Are we really comparing the tiredness factor from baseball to soccer?! Or pointy ball?!

The "beautiful game" is broken. It's an overall bad product, and one that adds absurdity to selecting an overtime winner.

 

Two Golden Goal OT periods fine. Then in the third play with no keeper, or play with two balls - something, anything but PKs which provide devastation to the loser and a hollow sense of accomplishment for the winner.

I will take the high road on this one.