It’s rare to see a district game double as the season opener in any sport but University Heights overcame a slow start and chippyness from both teams to hand Christian County a 4-1 setback at Givens Field Monday.
The match was intense from the start with sporadic shoving and jawing before Christian County’s Emmanuel Ixcol took a cross and found the net for a 1-0 lead 16 minutes in.
UHA began to win the battle at midfield, and Ian Calvert hit Will Bryan with a crossing pass. Bryan did the rest and scored the first Blazer goal 13 minutes later.
Right before halftime, Bryan scored again on a one-timer off a pass from defender Mack Major from 30 yards out for a 2-1 Blazer lead at intermission.
A key stretch in the game came six minutes into the second half. Calvert scored off a rebound to put UHA up 3-1. One consecutive possessions, two Colonels left the field with injuries. Simon East then added a header off a corner kick for a 4-1 lead.
The chippyness boiled over 10 minutes later when a Blazer and Colonel became entangled with shoves and jawing to follow. A player from each school was issued a red card as a result. Later, two yellow cards were given to different players.
The rest of the game was played without incident. Blazer goalie Dan Johnson made several point-blank saves – part of his 11-save night
UHA (1-0) will host Ballard Memorial Thursday, while Christian County (0-1) plays at Franklin-Simpson Thursday.