Caldwell County senior forward Mitchell Scott continued his torrid goal-scoring pace with another four goals Saturday to help the Tigers advance to the All “A” Regional Championship game. Caldwell (2-1-1), ranked 11th in the most recent YourSportsEdge.com Second Region rankings, pulled away late to beat the 5th ranked UHA Blazers (1-2) 5-3 at Butler Stadium in Princeton.
After a back and forth first 20 minutes, UHA got on the scoreboard first just before the 20 minute mark, when sophomore midfielder Tanner Thomas finished from close range off an assist from senior midfielder Taylor Daniel.
Both teams continued to carve out chances, but it was Caldwell that equalized with just over 16 minutes left in the half when Mitchell Scott drew a foul and scored his first of the afternoon on a penalty kick. Scott was back on the score sheet just over 4 minutes later when he got on the end of a long pass from senior defender Boyce Nichols. Caldwell added its 3rd goal in quick succession when Scott converted another penalty kick after a handball in the box.
UHA’s Taylor Daniel rounded out the first half scoring with just under 10 minutes left when he punched in a loose ball. UHA’s starting goalkeeper, junior Daniel Johnson, was injured in a collision toward the end of the half and did not return. Freshman Elvin Wagner finished the game in goal for the Blazers.
13 minutes into the second half UHA evened the score when Taylor Daniel scored from the penalty spot after a Caldwell handball in the box. The score would remain tied with both teams wearing down in the heat and relying more on long balls as their legs got heavy. UHA in particular seemed to get away from the passing on the wings that had made them dangerous in the first half.
The Tigers finally broke the deadlock with 13 minutes remaining when Scott picked up a loose ball at midfield and outraced the Blazer defense to score from the left side. Caldwell put the game away when junior forward Collin Shaffer scored on a deep shot with under 2 minutes remaining.
The Tigers will play the winner of the Lyon County/Fort Campbell semifinal for the region title.
Caldwell is back in action on the 29th when it travels to Paducah to face the St. Mary Vikings (1-2), while the Blazers make the trip to Webster County to take on the 2-0 Trojans.
