CORBIN —
By Chris Parsons / Staff Writer
The North Laurel Jaguars’ soccer team came oh-so-close to the goal that every high school soccer team sets out every season and that is reaching the state tournament.
Jaguar head coach MarC Acampa’s squad came up just short as it lost to Corbin in the 13th Region Championship match via penalty kicks.
What makes the loss even tougher to take is the fact North Laurel had knocked off the very same Redhound team to win the district title a week prior to the region tourney loss.
“We felt like we had a really good shot at beating them again, but it just was not to be,” Acampa said. “Corbin is a really good team and we were really pleased with our effort in the district finals and the chance to bring home our first ever district title.
“The kids put up a good fight in that region final and to be honest, to take a quality team such as Corbin to penalty kicks is really saying something for our program,” he added. “They’ve achieved the kind of success we are striving to reach here with our program and we will continue to do that in the future.”
Coming into the 2012 season, Acampa said he knew his team had its work cut out for it, especially considering the number of seniors he lost from the 2011 squad.
“When you have to think about replacing seven seniors from the previous season, you know you’re going to have to work hard,” Acampa said. “But we knew we had some good players coming in to help fill those voids and some kids that would really make us work harder as a team.
“As it turns out, those kids that came in were a really good fit,” he added. “There’s still some technical things we need to work on and finishing in front of the goal is one of the biggest problems we had all year. I think that’s something that every team tries to improve upon every time they are out there.”
In the end, Acampa said the season as a whole was a success and he felt like his team came a long way from where it was the season before.
“Being in the district finals and then to win the championship against a team like Corbin, we were just thrilled as a program,” Acampa said. “I think what we achieved said a lot about the boys’ commitment to winning and playing together as a team.
“All year long we were able to go about our business with a group of guys who played unselfishly,” he added. “It wasn’t never about who got the goal with this team, but it was more about 'hey let’s get the goal with this team.’”
Local Sports
Despite falling in region finals, Acampa pleased with '12
- Local Sports
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Jumpers stun North
Both North Laurel and Somerset struggled at the plate for six innings, but that didn’t mean the two teams weren’t going to provide some fireworks during the game’s final inning of play Thursday.
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On the move
Mother Nature played a big role during the opening day of the Boys and Girls State Tennis Tournaments. She caused just enough havoc to put a major dent into Thursday’s first and second round schedules.
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Lady Colonels drop 12-9 decision at home to Clay County
The Whitley County Lady Colonels found themselves in a slugfest for most of the night against Clay County Thursday.
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Colonels win big
Hollywood couldn’t have scripted the way Whitley County senior Alex Rose’s final start of the season went down Thursday.
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Carson comes big against Bears
Senior Night turned out to be a great day for North Laurel’s lone senior Marcus Carson.
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Lady Redhounds fall on the road, 10-0
The Corbin Lady Redhounds went into Thursday’s game against Middlesboro riding a five-game win streak and winners of seven of the past nine. The streak didn’t last though, as the Lady Yellow Jackets outplayed Corbin to a tune of 10-0 in five innings.
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SPORTS HEADLINES - MAY 17, 2013
Jumpers stun North
On the move
Local players advance in boys & girls state tennis action
Lady Colonels drop 12-9 decision at home to Clay County
Colonels win big
Carson comes big against Bears
Lady Redhounds fall on the road, 10-0
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Corbin falls short
The Corbin Lady Redhounds’ quest for a state championship came to an end Wednesday at the University of Kentucky’s Boone Tennis Center after dropping a 3-0 decision to Sacred Heart in Final Four action.
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No slowing down
Those who know outgoing Corbin High School freshman Alex “Dub” Smith will tell you that, despite being born with a disability, he's your average run-of-the-mill American teenager.
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Fear 'Les' 13th Region Diamond Rankings
It’s been very difficult for me the past couple of weeks to decide on who is the top rated team in the 13th Region.
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