Woodford County’s postseason run ended with a loss to South Oldham in the 8th Region girls’ soccer championship Oct. 24, one win short of a berth in the state tournament.
For Woodford coach Brandon Cummons, the disappointment was still fresh afterward, but his focus was on what his team accomplished in reaching the regional final for the first time since 2009.
“This team was special,” Cummons said of the postseason run. “I don’t even have the right words but the word special comes to mind the most.”
Woodford generated a handful of shots early, but South Oldham controlled possession for much of the final 30 minutes of the first half. The Dragons broke through with 9:52 remaining when Ally Stahl found Celia Falco on a throw-in for the opening goal.
Piper Roberson scored on a through-ball with 6:14 left in the half, giving South Oldham a 2-0 lead at the break.
Cummons urged his players at halftime to play with more energy and urgency.
South Oldham added to its lead with 23:42 remaining when Blair Hartman played a through-ball to Abigayle Hammons, who floated a shot into the net to make it 3-0.
“We knew what they were gonna give us today. They’re a really good team,” Cummons said. “We made some mistakes that were uncharacteristic.”
Despite the disappointment, Cummons pointed to his team’s response to challenges throughout the season as a defining part of its regional runner-up finish. Injuries piled up on the Jackets but Cummons plugged the next player in and Woodford’s bench was tested all season.
“The biggest key word is adversity all season,” he said. “We went through it.”
The Yellow Jackets’ tournament run gave Cummons something he hopes the program can build on.
“Obviously, this isn’t the hardware we wanted, but, this is the furthest a Woodford team’s gone in a long time,” Cummons said. “I’m proud of them. Hopefully we can build on it.”
Woodford earned its place in the championship game earlier in the week when freshman Afton Hall scored twice in the first half to lead the Yellow Jackets past North Oldham 2-1 in the regional semifinals.
The victory sent Woodford County High School to its first regional final in 17 years. Its previous appearance came the same year many of this year’s seniors were born, a connection Cummons called “kind of poetic.”
Hall opened the scoring five minutes into regulation, giving Woodford an early lead and helping settle her teammates.
“It made us all connect more and just calm down,” Hall said.
Woodford goalkeeper Emma Dorsey preserved the advantage with a leaping save before North Oldham eventually broke through for the equalizer. Woodford responded quickly, with Hall scoring her second goal of the half to put the Jackets ahead 2-1 at halftime.
Cummons said the response came within about 90 seconds of North Oldham’s goal.
“Our girls could have caved, and they responded,” Cummons said.
Sacoyia Garcia also had a scoring opportunity in the first half, but North Oldham’s goalkeeper made the save. Hall’s two goals proved enough as Woodford held North Oldham scoreless after halftime to secure a place in Saturday’s final.
Cummons expected North Oldham to challenge his team.
“I knew they were dangerous,” he said. “I knew they were gonna be physical, and they were gonna move the ball well.”
At halftime, Cummons reminded the Jackets they held the lead and encouraged them to adjust to North Oldham’s pressure. With Hall and Garcia creating opportunities, he wanted Woodford to play balls over the top and give them room to pursue possession.
The victory carried added meaning for a program that had come close to reaching the final in recent seasons. Cummons recalled a semifinal loss to South Oldham, a shootout defeat the following year and last season’s loss to Simon Kenton.
“I’m glad we’re finally over there,” Cummons said after the semifinal victory.
With a place in the final secured, Cummons knew the Jackets would face another challenge as they played for the regional title and a berth in the state tournament.
“We’re gonna have our hands full with whatever we get on Saturday,” Cummons said following the semifinal. “It’s not gonna be an easy game.”
For Hall, reaching the championship game as a freshman reflected the work and support of the entire team.
“We just trained really, really hard at practice,” Hall said. “We always were there for each other.”
She also credited her bench teammates for keeping the energy up throughout the run.
“Even if they’re not playing, they really help, too,” she said.
Hall finished as Woodford’s leading scorer with 14 goals, followed by Garcia with 12, Abby Lowe with 10, Annastyn McIntosh with nine and Erin Myers with five.
Lowe led the Jackets with 14 assists, followed by McIntosh with 10 and Garcia with five. Hall, Anna Dorough and Avery Sayre tied for fourth with three assists apiece.
Dorsey finished with 88 saves and 12 shutouts in 24 appearances. She allowed 28 goals, posting a .759 save percentage and a 1.17 goals-against average.