By Tim Branstetter / Staff Writer
The South Laurel Lady Cardinals ended their season on a cold, wet, and rainy night to the hands of the Boyle County Lady Rebels in a tough 3-0 loss at home in the first round of the state tournament.
The Lady Rebels brought in an impressive resume that includes an 18-3-1 record and a 15th Region championship, while the Lady Cardinals finished their season with several key injuries while putting together a 13-9-2 record and a 16th Region championship.
South Laurel faced Boyle County on the road early in the season and were defeated 4-1, so South Laurel coach Todd White knew the Lady Cardinals would have their hands full.
“We ran into a great team,” he said. “They play with a lot of poise and speed. They have a great program.”
Jessica Perkins and Katie White led the Lady Cardinal offense for most of the season from the forward positions, but both were sidelined with injuries.
The Lady Rebels made their presence known early with two quick goals before some South Laurel fans made it to their seats. Boyle County led 2-0 with just a minute gone in the first half.
“The game got off to a crazy start,” White said. “That first shot took a weird bounce and somehow got past our keeper. They really deserved the second goal, but we never gave up.”
South Laurel keeper Stephanie Fawbush stepped up and gave the Lady Cardinals a chance with save-after-save. Fawbush made a nice save with 26:50 remaining in the first half and Ginger Johnson followed with a sliding take away close to the goal. Fawbush added saves at the 19:11 mark and the 14:23 mark in the first half.
“It’s a sad moment when you lose two seniors,” White said. “They played their hearts out tonight. Stephanie played the best game I’ve seen her play. She knew this could be her last game and she didn’t want it to be.”
The Lady Cardinals were disappointed with the way their season ended, but looking back, White admitted his team had a pretty good year.
“They left it all on the field and played hard,” he said. “It was a good season. We were the district champs and the region champs again. I would like to have won more games, but we had several injuries. I’m just really proud of these girls.”
