Macke keys Campbell 10th semis win

By John Lachmann
Kypostsports@yahoo.com

TAYLOR MILL, Ky. – Lauren Macke scored twice in Campbell County’s regional opener vs. Clark County, including a key go-ahead tally in the closing minutes of the first half.

The junior midfielder continued her regional clutch scoring tear on Wednesday, as she netted two first-half goals in a 138-second span to key the Camels’ 3-0 win over Harrison County in a Region 10 semifinal at Scott on Wednesday.

“I’m absolutely ecstatic, and it’s not just that I’m doing it myself, it’s my teammates,” Macke said. “I’m just finishing.”

Just 6:27 into the match, Macke headed in a pass from senior midfielder Taylor Robinson to open the scoring.

At the 8:45 mark, Camels junior forward Natalie Visse fired a shot that Harrison County sophomore goalkeeper Chelsea Ingram was unable to control, and Macke was there to tap in the loose ball at the side of the net.

“We talked about getting off to a good start because we knew if we could get up on them that it would sink into their brains that this team beat us badly last time,” Campbell County coach David Morris said. “So I really stressed that before game time to play hard the first 10 minutes and get the lead.”

Visse took a feed from Robinson and ripped a shot into the net from more than 20 yards out with 9:08 remaining in the half to punch Campbell County’s ticket to the regional final.

Visse had two excellent chances to extend the Camels’ lead in the second half, but Ingram denied a breakaway shot and made another stop on a high-percentage shot minutes later. Ingram was perfect on six shots faced in the second half.

Campbell County beat Harrison County, 7-0 earlier this season.

With her two goals, Macke has found the net 19 times this season. She also scored twice vs. Scott in the district semifinal that clinched the Camels’ regional berth.

That gives Macke six goals in four postseason games.

“She’s done it all year,” Morris said. “When we need it, she tends to come out and she demoralizes other teams usually by hitting those strikes from the outside. It’s a big part of our game.”

Visse scored her 11th goal and dished for her second assist this year, and Robinson picked up her team-leading seventh and eighth helpers.

The Camels’ defense, led by freshman Holly Schwarber, did the rest, as sophomore goalkeeper Bryanna Schroers did not make a save in the second half.

“I think (Schwarber’s) going to be so good,” Macke said. “Our defense, I give a lot of credit to them for our wins.”

The Thorobreds’ only decent scoring chance came in the 26th minute when Schroers denied an outside shot fired right at her.

Campbell County will face Brossart in the regional championship game at noon on Saturday. It will be the third meeting of the season between the teams, and the Mustangs have won both previous matches in a shootout, including the district final.

“It’s been 1-1 and 0-0 in our two previous games, so I think in that game the key is to come out, play hard from the start,” Morris said. “The team that gets off to a quick start – if we could get a goal early in the game it would be tremendous.”

HALFTIME: 3-0. GOALS: CC—Macke 2, Visse. SHUTOUT: Schroers (1 save). RECORDS: Campbell County 14-8-2, Harrison County 11-5-5.