With the 2019 girls’ soccer season in it second week, its time to take an early look at which team’s have gotten out of the gate quickly in our first Super 7 of the young campaign. Familiar faces remain at the top, with a number of programs jostling for position below them.
- Henderson County (2-1) – The Lady Colonels have ruled the 2nd Region with an iron first recently, claiming the last four regional titles. They last lost to a regional foe in 2014 when they opened the season with a 5-0 loss to Hopkinsville. Region scoring queen Maddie Griggs has graduated, but until someone can knock-off the Lady Colonels, they will remain the favorite. Henderson went 1-1 the first week and began the second with a 3-0 victory over Caldwell County (2-1). A couple of Indiana schools, Evansville Christian School and Evansville Reitz, are scheduled for late in the week, before a showdown with Region 1’s Marshall County (4-0) on Saturday.
- Madisonville-North Hopkins (3-1) – After an opening night loss to Greenwood, the Lady Maroons have been scoring goals in bunches, led by sophomore Camryn LaGrange with 12 in four games. If the Lady Maroons hope to unseat Henderson at the top of the region, LaGrange will need to keep up her scoring pace while the defense that has yeilded 11 goals so far will need to tighten up. Madisonville claimed a 9-0 win over Christian County (0-2) for a strong start against region competition and can get a jump on defending its 7th-District title with matches against Hopkins County Central (3-1) and Caldwell County (2-1) over the next five days.
- University Heights Academy (1-2) – The Lady Blazers began the season with a couple of close losses to strong competition in Calloway County (2-1) and McCracken County (2-1), before righting the ship with a 1-0 win over Hopkinsville on Wednesday. UHA will need to find scoring after the graduation of Lilly Strader and an injury to Kate Cansler, but Grace Pape seems up to the challenge. The Lady Blazers have over a week off until they return to the field to face Crittenden County in the All “A” Classic.
- Hopkinsville (3-2) – The Lady Tigers moved to 3-1 with a 5-1 victory over 8th-District foe Fort Campbell (1-2) on Monday, but the victory proved costly with the loss of Ana Hernandez to injury. Hoptown still has lots of quality pieces, but will need to find ways to manufacture goals in Hernandez’s absence, as evidenced by Wednesday night’s 1-0 loss to UHA. It won’t get any easier with a trip to Murray High (1-0) scheduled for Saturday, followed by a visit from Ohio County (2-1). A match with Hopkins County Central (3-1) on August 29 will provide a clearer picture of where the Lady Tigers stand in the region.
- Caldwell County (2-1) – The Lady Tigers have enjoyed a strong start to the season with wins over Webster County (1-2) and Apollo (0-4) by a combined score of 16-1. A respectable 3-0 loss to Henderson County followed, a nice turnaround from a 10-0 loss to the Lady Colonels last season. Next week is a big one for the Lady Tigers, with matches against Lyon County (3-1) and Graves County (2-0) sandwiched around a showdown with defending 7th-District champs Madisonville-North Hopkins on Tuesday. If Caldwell comes through that stretch at 2-1 or better, it will have a strong case for moving up in the rankings.
- Hopkins County Central (3-1) – The Lady Storm already own three wins against 2nd-Region competition, with close victories over Lyon County (3-1), Fort Campbell (1-2) and Webster County (1-2) under their belt. A loss to 1-3 St. Mary is a little concerning, but after an 11-4-1 record last season and the previously mentioned wins to start the season, the Lady Storm get the benefit of the doubt. A Thursday match-up with 7th-District champs Madisonville-North Hopkins and a visit from Hopkinsville on August 29 will reveal if Hopkins Central is a threat to the teams at the top of the rankings.
- Lyon County (3-1) – After a 3-2 loss to Hopkins County Central (3-1) in their opener, the Lady Lyons have run off three straight wins. Goal scoring hasn’t been a problem with 20 in four games led by Rose Smith’s 13, but the defense has been a little leaky. Matches with Caldwell County (2-1), Webster County (1-2) and Fort Campbell (1-2) next week will determine if the Lady Lyons stay in the rankings.