WILLIAMSBURG — North Laurel punched its ticket into the 13th Region Tournament after surviving a 2-1 thriller against Oneida Baptist.
The win sets up a matchup between the Jaguars and defending 49th District and 13th Region champion Corbin.
The Redhounds advanced to the district title game by defeating Whitley County earlier Tuesday with a 4-1 decision.
“We started the game really well tonight and I felt we controlled the game early,” North Laurel coach David Broyles said. “Our passes were crisp and we worked the ball up the sidelines. This led to our first goal when Tanner Broyles found Gabe Steely in the box. We continued to have good chances at scoring a goal through the first half but couldn’t convert.
“In the second half, we came out again I felt that we moved the ball around well and finally got some breathing room when Jaxon Jacobs assisted Grant Abner for our second goal,” he added. “We continued to have chances to extend the lead but just didn’t find the back of the net. With three to four minutes to go, I think we relaxed too much and allowed them to score to make it 2-1. Thankfully, we held on for the win. Survive, advance and give ourselves a shot on Wednesday. We will have to play much better to win against a Corbin team playing with a lot of confidence.”
North Laurel and the Redhounds met in Corbin on September 14 with Roger Taylor’s squad pulling off an exciting, 1-0 overtime win.
The two teams will meet Wednesday at 6 p.m.
Against Oneida Baptist, North Laurel took a 1-0 lead five minutes into the match as Gabe Steely scored from a Tanner Broyles’ assist.
The Jaguars held onto the slim lead throughout the contest, as North Laurel has numerous opportunities to score, but couldn’t take advantage.
Grant Abner gave the Jaguars a 2-0 cushion (assist from Jaxon Jacobs) during the 54th minute.
The Mountaineers scored with two minutes remaining but failed to tie the game.
