Hopkinsville may have gotten caught looking past their first round Second Region Tournament game to a potential semifinal matchup with Henderson County, but an early goal by Caldwell County seemed to wake them up in time.
Hoptown responded with 11 straight goals to win 11-1 and advance to their Tuesday showdown with the Colonels.
Cody Holub scored five minutes into the contest to stake Caldwell to an early 1-0 lead. Welby Horn tied the game 12 minutes later, and the Hoptown defense and midfield controlled the possessions the rest of the game to limit Caldwell’s scoring chances.
Ryan Roussel scored two minutes later for Hoptown off of one of three Ethan Noel assists. Noel has 44 assists for the season and broke the former state record of 42 set by LaRue County’s Marshall Metcalfe in 2012. Earlier this year, Noel broke the statewide career assist mark.
Zach Moore and Tyler Aldridge scored a minute apart to boost the lead to 4-1. Aldridge and Noel each scored goals in stoppage time to give Hoptown a 6-1 lead at intermission.
Hoptown scored five goals in the first 23 minutes of the second half to put an end to the contest and give Hopkinsville their fourth straight region tourney win.
Aldridge, Noel, Roussel, and Newcomb Maddux each finished with two goals, while Horn, Moore, and Caleb Stallons tallied single goals.
As a team, Hopkinsville has scored 146 goals this season which breaks the state record of 145 set by St. Xavier in 2007 and equaled by Daviess County in 2015. The Tigers also have 115 assists, which is third most in state history and eight behind the mark set by Daviess County in 2015.
Hopkinsville hasn’t lost to Caldwell County in 15 matches dating back to 2007 – that covers 14 wins and one tie.
Caldwell County’s season ends with a record of 9-10-1.
Hopkinsville improves to 17-4-1 and will play Henderson County in a 6pm semifinal Tuesday. The Tigers and Colonels tied 5-5 September 19 in Henderson.
