It had not been an easy season for the Central Hardin Girls Soccer team as they came into the 2019 season with a new coach, a few new players and a lot of question marks. The loss of a huge senior class from 2018 set up the Lady Bruins for what some saw as a possible transition year as it seemed like everybody else in the district got better. With Brentyn Dodd gone, senior Brittany Music would be called upon to do so much more as would six freshman, who joined the class to help replace 10 lost seniors. So after going 1-2-1 in your last four games including the second District Tournament loss to Elizabethtown, there were even more questions waiting to be answered.
They would be answered very soon.
The 5th Region Tournament was not kind to head coach Chris Wilk as his team beat LaRue County 8-1 in the first round and then would have to face the top seeded Bardstown, the team many saw as the top contender and after losing an earlier game 6-3, it looked like a mismatch, but thanks to a great defensive effort by the defense, the game drifted to double overtime and then a shootout where Wilk sent up shooters Taylor Eidson (freshman), Haylie Panter (freshman) and Peyton Rabb (sophomore), who went 3-for-3 and Goalkeeper Olivia Fogle blocked all three Bardstown shooters for the win. So maybe this season wasn’t a total loss and maybe they might shoot for something bigger.
Still, with Elizabethtown eliminated by Bethlehem in the second game, it looked like the four time 5th Region Champions might be their last game. Also, the Banshees were breathing a sign of relief when Bardstown was beaten as the Lady Tigers had defeated them three straight times that season. So, for the first time in 5th Region history (check me if I’m wrong), the Final would be played by two District Runner-ups and it looked to be a dandy.
Brittany Music got things going early by hitting a running shot over Goalkeeper Beth Russell to give the Lady Bruins an early 1-0 lead, which seemed to hold up for the rest of the first half as the Banshees huffed and puffed and shot low, high and off balance giving Fogle plenty of save opportunities early. The same Goalkeeper that had a career game against Bardstown was having a continuation of that against Bethlehem thanks to a great defensive effort and a little change in strategy. “ We used a different formation with a sweeper and stopper in back. Brooke Norton is really fast and she was able to stop all the attacking players,” said Haylie Panter. The first half ended with Music’s lone goal and as the second half continued it looked like the pattern would continue despite the fact that for the remainder of regulation, the Banshees controlled not only possession, but also Music cutting off her dangerous sprintouts.
The Banshees were not Four-time Region champions without overcoming some challenges and in the second half as time dwindled away, they finally came to life.
With 18:13 left in regulation, Baeli Young finally broke through redirecting a Buckley Sparks assist tying things up. Then like lightning striking twice, the trend continued as Young pushed a header past Fogle to put the Banshees in the lead, 2-1 with 12:32 left.
For Wilk and the Lady Bruins, things looked bleak as Bethlehem continued to control possession and cut off any offensive thrust. It would take a huge play or a misstep to change things and Music made it.
Playing in what looked to be her last game on her home turf, Brittney Music had been frustrated since her early goal. Bethlehem coach Dan Rossoll had several defenders glued to her to prevent anymore long runs or breakaways like junior Lauren DeBold to keep her in check and the strategy worked. So with less than 5:00 left in her season and things looking bad, Music chose to take things into her own hands and force the action on the other side.
With a little less than 4:50 left, Russell had just made another save in front of the Bethlehem goal and now was attempting to send a long kick back deep into Lady Bruins terrritory. However, Music charged attempting to force the action and Russell’s kick deflected off her hip and as players charged after the ball which bounced backwards towards the Banshee goal, Music beat the nearest defender to it and sent it into the unattended goal tying things up at 2-2. Of her 34-goals this season, this will undoubtably go down as the most important as “THE MUSIC MIRACLE “ sent the game into overtime and halted a Banshee celebration afterwards as the stunned Bethlehem players looked on as regulation ended.
After the game drifted into overtime, neither team scored in the first and as the second neared it’s end, Music corralled a long rebound and took off towards the goal until she was suddenly halted by a Banshee defender. The infraction set up a penalty kick that could end the game.
After nearly 90-minutes of splended defensive play by both teams, the game and the season for the two teams would be decided by Haylie Panter.
The same Haylie Panter, who took one of the kicks in the Shootout win just the other night. Was she nervous? “I told coach “I don’t know if I want to do this. Do you trust me? And he said yes so I did it!” The freshman also admitted there was more pressure on her tonight. “If I missed last night someone else could have stepped up.”
Like someone who had done it most of her life, Panter stepped up and drilled the shot low and away to the right ending the game and the Banshees Region reign.
As the Lady Bruins enjoyed their victory and a chance to play in semi-state against the Region 8 winner, Bethlehem will now ponder the weird events that brought their season to an end. Their four-year Region Championship run was one of the best. Just like it took a miracle to start the run back in 2015, just as suddenly it took one (Or a Music one to be precise) to finally end that.
On the other hand, Central Hardin will advance to the first round of the state tournament (against South Oldham, who defeated North Oldham in the 8th Region Final) and their rookie head coach Wilk will enjoy the magical ride and although they might go in as underdogs again, there will still be plenty of memories from a weekend and a special night when for the first time in a long time the Lady Bruins needed a miracle to stay alive and they got one.
