James Weber , jweber@communitypress.com
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CovCath's penalty shooters are brothers in arms during the deciding PK shootout. Covington Catholic vs Daviess County. KHSAA state boys soccer final. Nov. 5, 2016. Bryan Station HS. Lexington KY. CovCath lost 1-1 (6-5 in penalty kicks). Daviess county won the state title. James Weber/Community Recorder, James Weber/The
LEXINGTON - The Covington Catholic soccer team was trying to look at the bright side after a crushing defeat, trying to remember that they were playing the game they loved.
The Colonels (22-5-2) lost 6-5 in penalty kicks to Daviess County (26-1) in the KHSAA state championship game Saturday night at Bryan Station High School. Daviess won in the third extra round after its keeper, Tyler Croft, saved a CovCath attempt to start the round.
"We haven't been down a goal in the tournament but we fought hard and scored one and from there we were duking it out," said CCH head coach Jeremy Robertson. "I was telling these guys: Soccer's a cruel game but that's why we love it."
The teams were tied 3-3 after the first five kicks. CovCath made the last three after going 0-for-2 to start. Thomas Cody saved Daviess' last kick, which would have won the title then.
The teams went to sudden death. Both teams made their first two before Croft saved CovCath's eighth kick, then the Panthers delivered in their final round.
"It's been a great year," said CovCath senior Michael Vogt. "I thought we had an extra life. That's the thing about this game, it can be painful, but that's why we play it."
"Daviess County is a good team," Robertson said. "They played a great game. We had our chances. We could have finished one or two early on and we didn't."
With 2:30 to play in the first overtime, Daviess had a corner kick but the Colonels cleared it.
Both keepers made a great play in the first five minutes to negate a scoring opportunity.
The Panthers scored at the very end of the first OT but it was waved off by an offisdes call.
Daviess truck first in the sixth minute on a goal by Isaac Amaya, his team-high 31st for Daviess. He took advantage of an opening off a corner kick. It was only the second goal CovCath had allowed all postseason and marked the first time the Colonels have trailed in the playoffs.
CovCath tied it in the 19th minute, when senior Cole Stava got the ball in space and beat Daviess keeper Tyler Croft, who tried to challenge Stava but didn't get there in time. Stava corralled the ball and grounded the ball into the wide open net for his 16th goal of the season.
Daviess outshot CovCath 8-7 for the first half. CovCath had five shots on goal.
CovCath was outshot by Daviess 17-13 in regulation, but CCH had six on goal including three close-range misses in the second half.
Thomas Cody made a great save with four minutes left in regulation on a shot by Daviess.
Both teams had issues at times in the second half under the cooling conditions, misfiring on several passes and having trouble generating offense. Both teams put defensive pressure on the other as well.
Then it came down to PKs.
"Our guys are taking it hard," Robertson said. "All year we've grinded it out, not trying to make mistakes defensively. We made a mistake early and they're a good team and they punished us for it.
This is a team that had to come together and they did. They have nothing to put their heads down over. We gave it a good run for our money, it just didn't work out for us."
Vogt, Griffin Lamb and Stephen Schutt were all-tourney picks for the Colonels.