Lady Purples: Back2Back2Back Region Champs

After a 1-2 loss to the Greenwood Lady Gators in the 14th district championship, Lady Purples Soccer bounced back to beat the Lady Gators 1-0 in the 4th region championship. To start the region tournament hosted at Warren Central High School, the Lady Purples played the Lady Trojans from Barren County and held them scoreless to win 10-0. After playing the Lady Trojans, they advanced to take on the Todd County Central Lady Rebels. With another flawless victory, they beat the Lady Rebels 7-0. They advanced to the championship, where they beat the Lady Gators for the 4th region title for the third year in a row. 

The long-lasting rivalry between the Lady Purples and Lady Gators called for an intense game and a packed stadium at Warren Central High School for the regional championship. Katie Donnelson scored the only goal and the goalkeeper, Ella Wilesbrook, made six saves to keep the Lady Gators from scoring. The great defense and teamwork led the Lady Purples to conquer the region as champions. The Lady Purples then prepared to take on the best teams in the state as they advanced forward. 

On Thursday, October 19th, the Lady Purples played Sacred Heart Academy in the KHSAA state tournament as part of the Elite-8. It was a rough and competitive game from the get go. Sacred Heart scored in the last minutes of the first half and the Lady Purples came close many times. In the second half, Sacred Heart scored another goal while holding the Lady Purples to nothing. After a long game with many rain delays, the Lady Purples were defeated 0-2. 

BGHS first-year student, Emma Macy, said that playing in high-stakes games was “fun and exciting, and something that not many players get to experience.” She is “happy she got to play with such a great team,” and can’t wait to see how they “grow from this year and how far they make it next year.”

It was a great season for Lady Purples Soccer and an amazing run in the postseason tournaments. They finished with a 18-6 record for the season, establishing the coach of Lady Purples Soccer, Lisa Correa, as the second most successful coach in Kentucky. We are proud of Coach Correa, and proud of our Lady Purples.

- Katy Smiley

Sports Writer