LONDON — The No. 1 seed North Laurel Jaguars survived a battle Thursday night, defeating Whitley County 3-2 in double overtime to advance to the 49th District Boys’ Soccer Tournament championship.
The Jaguars (10-7-2) needed every bit of grit and late-game execution to fend off the Colonels (12-8-1), who saw their season end in heartbreaking fashion.
“We didn’t have our best game tonight, but we did just enough to get the win,” North Laurel coach David Broyles said. “We missed on several opportunities tonight, but we survived. Proud of how our boys battled through an extremely physical and challenging game. They showed a lot of heart tonight. Now to get ready for the district championship game and region tournament.”
After a scoreless first half, North Laurel struck first when Reilly Stuber found the back of the net off a Jaxson Jacobs assist.
Whitley County responded as standout forward Rizzo Cima converted a penalty kick to tie the match at 1-1.
Both teams traded goals late in regulation, with Cima burying his second PK of the night for the Colonels, while Jacobs answered with a penalty kick for the Jaguars after Malik Turner was fouled in the box — sending the match into overtime at 2-2.
The first extra period went scoreless, but in the second overtime, North Laurel capitalized. Stuber drew a foul outside the box, setting up Jacobs, who drilled the game-winning free kick to clinch the Jaguars’ spot in the district championship.
North Laurel will now look to carry its momentum into the title game, while Whitley County closes a strong season at 12-8-1, led by Cima’s two-goal performance in his final outing of the year.
