Heritage Christian Academy’s bid for their first appearance in the KCAA State Soccer Championship game ended Thursday with a 3-0 loss to Assumption Academy in Elizabethtown.
HCA had trouble maneuvering through Assumption’s defense, that dropped four and sometimes five defenders to guard against the Warriors’ quickness in the middle. Heritage was limited to two first half shots and six for the entire game.
Assumption got on the board when Joseph Condit got loose in the middle and cleaned up a missed shot with 12:33 left in the first half.
Heritage got their best look in the 49th minute when a foul just outside the goal box gave the Warriors a free kick. The shot was off target.
Heritage remained the aggressor for most of the match, but that also resulted in a 3-to-1 ratio of fouls called against them compared to the Horsemen.
Condit added his second goal in the 68th minute when Heritage failed to clear a pass deep in their own end, and he found himself in the right place to convert.
The Horsemen, who hail from Walton and play in Region Three, added another insurance goal in the 70th minute when a foul in the box gave them a penalty kick. Matthew Pfeiffer converted for the final three-goal margin.
Assumption only had two shots in the second half and finished with eight in the match.
Andrew Gentry had four of his saves in the first half.
Heritage Christian graduates three seniors from this year’s 7-6 team that advanced to the KCAA semifinals for the first time in three years. They were looking for their first state title match appearance since 2011.
Assumption Academy will play eight-time defending Somerset Christian in Saturday’s title match. Somerset needed overtime to beat Highlands Latin in the other semifinal.