MOREHEAD — The Whitley County Colonels punched their ticket to the Kentucky 2A Boys’ Soccer State Final Four with a 3-2 win over Johnson Central on Wednesday.
The victory improved the Colonels’ record to 6-3 as they now prepare to travel to Owensboro on Saturday to face the winner of Rowan County and Bourbon County.
Head coach Michael Branham said his team wasted no time setting the tone.
“We started off the game strong and pressured them well,” he said. “Bryson Mahan found Rizzo Cima on a through ball 14 minutes into the game. With three minutes left in the half Brody Moses assisted Rizzo for his second goal.
“In the second half, we gave up a goal on a defensive error which let Johnson Central gain some momentum. Rizzo Cima scored a PK with 21 minutes left in the game to give us the 3-1 lead. Another Johnson Central goal with 15 minutes left put a lot of pressure on us, but I am very proud of how we managed to close out the game.
“Our keeper Clyde Johnson had a great day and made some phenomenal saves to close out the game,” Branham added. “It was a team effort and I couldn’t be more proud of the way we battled on a chilly, rainy day to move on to the final four of the 2A state tournament.”
