LONDON — North Laurel’s impressive postseason journey came to an end in the quarterfinals of the KHSAA Girls’ State Soccer Tournament as the Lady Jaguars suffered an 8-0 loss to a talented Paul Laurence Dunbar squad.
Despite the loss, North Laurel coach Jason Welch praised his team’s determination and effort against a Dunbar squad he believes has all the ingredients necessary to capture a state championship.
The Lady Bulldogs wasted little time establishing control, scoring twice during the opening 10 minutes and putting North Laurel in an early hole.
The Lady Jaguars attempted to slow Dunbar’s offensive attack by utilizing both mid- and low-block defensive formations, but the Lady Bulldogs consistently found ways to create scoring opportunities.
“We knew coming into to this one that Dunbar is a really good team, they have all of the pieces to win the state championship,” Welch said. “We tried our best to hold a mid and low block but they were able to get behind our defense and score two in the first 10 minutes. We found a little bit of a sweet spot and had a great opportunity on a counter attack by Eden Begley.”
Dunbar’s ability to adjust offensively made things difficult for North Laurel throughout the contest.
“When we played compact and tight they would find the open space on the outside and when we played wide they found the open lanes in the middle,” Welch said. “They’ve seen all of these formations before and were able to push through time and time again.”
Even with Dunbar’s offensive success, North Laurel managed to find some positives defensively, particularly when defending corner kicks.
Welch credited his team’s preparation during the week for helping limit Dunbar’s scoring opportunities on set pieces.
“On the positive side we were able to hold them at bay on their corners which is something we practiced a lot this week,” Welch said. “I believe we held them to only one score out of eight corners. Jaedyn Gilbert also had eight stops in goal.”
Gilbert’s eight saves highlighted the Lady Jaguars’ defensive effort as North Laurel continued battling despite facing a significant deficit.
Although the loss brought North Laurel’s season to a disappointing conclusion, it couldn’t overshadow another successful postseason that saw the Lady Jaguars return to the state’s final eight teams.
For Welch, the accomplishment of reaching the Elite Eight and the determination his players displayed throughout the season were reasons to be proud.
“We kept playing and pushing through even though we were facing an uphill battle,” Welch said. “Not the way we wanted to finish the season but we’re happy we made it back to the Elite 8 and I’m very proud of this team.”
