LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- One win at a time.
Last year, South Oldham girls soccer was a win short from its first state championship since 2014. Now the team is preparing for another run at the state title with those moments in mind.
“It showed us that we can get there, it just added a whole ‘nother level of what we were going to do in the offseason, knowing we wanted to get back there and do everything we could to rewrite the story of what happened,” senior midfielder Betsy Huckaby said.
South Oldham's Betsy Huckaby kicks the ball against Woodford County in the Eight Region tournament. (Photo courtesy of John Michaud)
After a 4-0 victory over Simon Kenton last week in the Eighth Region final, South Oldham advanced to the state tournament for the third time in four years.
Some of South Oldham’s seniors joined the program as eighth graders, beginning a journey that’s led to a 73-11-2 record in the last four seasons. South Oldham coach Kenny Burke remembers the group’s attitude and passion for soccer when they arrived years ago.
“We’ve known this moment was coming for a long time, you could see it building,” Burke said. “Once you started to see some of those girls play in big-time games over the past four years, and be able to compete and go out there and showcase at a very high level, we knew that this year when they were going to be seniors, it was going to be a tough group to beat.”
South Oldham girls soccer after a victory over Woodford County in the Eight Region tournament. (Photo courtesy of John Michaud)
South Oldham’s seniors have been part of plenty of big moments in their careers. The Lady Dragons reached the quarterfinals of the state tournament in 2019 during a 20-win season.
Last year, South Oldham went 23-3 on its way to the state final.
The team has set records and learned how to handle tough losses together.
“We’re a very tight-knit, close team, like a family,” senior Marley Kahle said. “I think that’s one of the most important things for having a team this strong.”
It’s been a season of dominance for South Oldham. The team that goes into the state tournament with a 19-2 record didn’t allow a goal in the first six matches and has 18 shutouts behind goalkeeper Katelyn Feeney this year.
| Player | Goals | Assists |
| Marley Kahle | 27 | 17 |
| Betsy Huckaby | 19 | 7 |
| Ava Roberson | 14 | 7 |
| Katie Beth May | 13 | 8 |
| Ally Byrd | 12 | 7 |
Those wins didn’t come without challenges. South Oldham played 11 matches against teams appearing in the Top 20 of the most recent Maher Rankings, including a 4-2 record against Top 10 opponents.
South Oldham's Marley Kahle controls a possession against Woodford County in the Eight Region tournament. (Photo courtesy of John Michaud)
“Our schedule is very difficult, if you’re going to look two and three games ahead, you’re going to miss somebody,” Burke said. “I think that the schedule design was good because you couldn’t take a day off. And every day, it was just focusing on that day.”
South Oldham goes into the state tournament on a four-game winning streak, its last loss, a 3-2 defeat at Assumption on Sept. 29, the team they now face in the first round.
“We want to go in there, and we want to play to the best of our ability,” senior Katie Beth May said. “And if we win, and we get to keep playing, then that’s great. But we’re not focused on that yet.”
To have a chance at a state title, South Oldham, ranked No. 1 by Kentucky High School Athletic Association's RPI, will have to play for one win at a time.
“We just keep climbing the ladder, one step at a time,” senior Ava Roberson said.
South Oldham is scheduled to play Assumption in the opening round of the state tournament hosted at Carroll County High School on Monday.
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