CLARKSVILLE
Trinity Lutheran soccer players Genesis Munoz and Kailene Cockerham added to career school records Saturday at Providence and helped the Cougars bring home the school’s first girls soccer sectional trophy.
Cockerham scored Trinity’s second goal in a 2-0 win over Providence to raise her career total to 41 and break the career goal record of 40 that she shared with Maddie Roark going into the match.
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Munoz had 13 saves to increase her career saves mark to 404.
Cougars coach Thom Hayes said it was a team effort that helped bring home the trophy.
“All-around, it was a good, balanced game, I thought,” he said.
The Cougars outscored Austin and Providence by a combined 8-0 in the sectional.
In talking about the defense, Hayes said, “It says they are a hardworking bunch. I’m very proud of them. They faced speed. They faced good ball handlers. They do what they’re supposed to do. They don’t get rattled.
“Genesis played an amazing game. She always knows where to be, it seems like. She had to make some tough saves, and she really did that.”
Hayes said before the tournament began, he felt confident his team had enough talent to win a sectional.
“You never know,” he said. “Providence was supposed to be our first game of the season, which got canceled because we had our two-week COVID issue. We were not able to find a time to reschedule, so we didn’t.”
Instead, Trinity faced Providence near the end of the season.
“That would have been the test,” Hayes said. “However, we played some other games. We didn’t get beat badly by anybody. We lost some games we should have won, and we also hung in on games we should have got beat.”
His players worked throughout.
“They contested every game,” he said. “They played hard every game. I know Providence is always a good team. I knew we had a shot if we came out and played hard, and they did. They left it on the field here today.”
Sarah Lemming’s goal at 30 minutes of the first half was the only goal the Cougars needed to win versus Providence, but Cockerham doubled the lead with her score at 5:53 of the first half.
Hayes said Lemming was aggressive in moving the ball toward the goal.
“That’s one of her specialties,” he said. “She gets loose, and she has deceiving speed. She gets down the field, and she’s got a good shot with her left foot.”
He credited good play by the defense for getting the ball to Cockerham for her goal.
“That was the defense stepping up and putting that ball up in the air to get it to land right inside the box right where Kailene was,” Hayes said. “She’s a great ball handler, and she was able to control that and put it away. That was defense and offense contributing to that goal. I was so happy to have that second goal.”
Cockerham was conscious of the potential record.
“I was so excited for the game today,” she said. “I knew I needed one, and my whole team had my back and supported me the whole way. The whole situation was special.”
The win and the goal.
“I think we played really well together,” Cockerham said. “We talked and we had some good passes and through balls to Sarah and me, and Emma Myers would run down and get it, and we were working well together. I couldn’t ask for anything more.”
The win gives the Cougars a record of 7-7 going into Saturday’s match in the Forest Park Regional, where they will play Washington Catholic at noon. Washington Catholic (9-6-1) defeated South Knox 2-1 in the finals of the North Knox Sectional.
Forest Park (7-4) will face Oldenburg Academy (7-4-2) in the first match Saturday, starting at 10 a.m.