LONDON — The North Laurel Jaguar soccer team is ready to do battle and weather another long road trip when they face-off against host Ryle in Thursday’s KHSAA Boys’ State Soccer Tournament Elite Eight showdown.
North Laurel (15-5-3) enters Thursday’s matchup riding a five-game win streak while the Raiders (21-2-1) are 19-0-1 since beginning the season with consecutive losses.
“This group of young men set goals at the beginning of the season and they have continued to achieve those goals with each game we play,” North Laurel coach David Broyles said. “Coming into the season there was pressure on this group because of the expectations they had, but they continue to work towards their goals.
“This group has a team-first mentality and that has served them well all season,” he added. “Against Perry Central in round one, we were a little nervous, but settled in and took control of the game. With our next game against Ryle we know that we have a real challenge on our hands.”
Ryle is led by Bruce Denigan, and Diego Hoenderkemp. Denigan has 25 goals and nine assists while Hoenderkemp has 24 goals, and 26 assists.
“They are a really good team, ranked top 10 in the state, but we have stepped our game up each time we have faced teams ranked above us,” Broyles said. “This team hasn’t shied away from competition all year and I don’t expect them to now, if anything I believe they like being the underdogs and proving themselves. They are confident in their abilities and I know they will leave everything out on the field. They play for each other and at the end of the day that is what means the most.”
Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m.
