The 2021-22 season ends with mixed feelings for Boyle County soccer
DANVILLE, Ky. — The dominant early run of the Boyle County Rebels soccer club showed every doubter they were here to compete for a high state ranking spot, but this season ended unexpectedly with an early playoff exit. The loss from the Somerset Brian Jumpers by 2-0 on Oct. 14 left the Rebels with mixed feelings. Even though they managed to have a great season, they didn’t finish it with the 12th region championship.
Everything seemed to be going their way until they were found in the final of the 12th region, and it was one of those bad days for the players out of Danville.
Before the match that ended the regional championship and any hopes of the Rebels going deeper into a playoff run, they had a remarkable record of 13 wins, five losses and only two ties. They were at 70% for winning and they had an undefeated first place in the 45th district with three wins and no losses.
Competitive championships and sports in general have shown us that teams might have been great during the regular season but might not perform so well in the postseason, having a lousy playoff run which is followed by an early exit. In soccer, it’s even more frequent for an underdog to hustle its way through the rankings with great defense and scores that aren’t huge but are enough to go to a deep playoff run.
None of the above was the case for the Rebels since they indicated complete domination in the matches before the final of the regional championship. On their first district tournament game, they dominated the Garrard County Golden Lions with a 4-0 victory on Oct. 5.
Then they won easily against the Danville Admirals in their next district tournament game on Oct. 9, winning 6-3 in a neutral game. After that, the Rebels won against the Wayne County Cardinals with a whopping score of 8-2 on Oct. 11. Their last win of the season came against the West Jessamine Colts with a score of 3-2 on their playoff game on Oct. 13.
For many, this is even considered a curse for the Boyle County Rebels since their last season ended in a similar paradox. More specifically, they had an overall record of 10-8-1, a 55% winning record and an undefeated league score of 5-0, being once again first in their district.
The team suffered a tough loss last season that made them exit the playoffs only two games in. The flop came from the Ryle Raiders on Oct. 26, 2020, with a 4-1 defeat. The Raiders finished their season with an 18-1 record, a .95 winning percentage and No. 79 in the national rankings (No. 3 in the state of Kentucky).
People might call it a curse. Others might say the team needs to go the extra mile and work harder under the direction of Coach Jeremy Carlson, should they wish to be great and compete for a top-25 spot.
Whatever the case may be, one thing’s for sure. The Rebels aren’t ready to go down. They will prepare and do the necessary steps, work hard to go into a deeper run in the playoffs and compete for a better place in the rankings.
Congratulations for the precious season should be followed by the excitement of the upcoming achievements for a team with such great potential.
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