Girls high school soccer in Lexington has been dominated in recent years by Lexington Catholic. In fact, the Knights haven’t lost to a city rival since 2019. It’s a span that has seen Lexington Catholic win 34 straight city games and four 11th Region titles.
But something extraordinary happened last October. The Knights, ranked No. 1 in the state by the final of the regular season, got in the 11th Region championship game.
Three Lexington teams actually ranked higher than No. 26 Madison Central — Lafayette (12), Paul Laurence Dunbar (16) and Frederick Douglass (22). Could the Indians’ postseason success against mighty LexCath last year buoy confidence of the teams inside Fayette County’s lines? It should.
And we’ll begin finding out when the season kicks off on Monday. Here’s a look at all nine Lexington teams ordered according to their approximate finish last year. Player honors and stats are from the 2023 season.
Quotes are coaches’ comments. Terry Quigley (33rd season). 23-2.
43rd District champion and 11th Region runner-up. , jr., second-team all-city, (17 goals, 17 assists), “a very strong midfielder;” , sr.
, second-team all-city (15 goals, 12 assists) and , sr. (6 goals, 8 assists) — “are quick and hard-working forwards.” “We always have a goal to get to the region final.
At the moment I’m not sure (about how we’ll play) because we haven’t decided on a system or who will play where.” Eight starters return. Senior and junior will likely continue to split time at goalkeeper again this season.
LexCath only allowed 11 goals against in 25 games. The annual Lady Knights Challenge Cup midseason tournament, Sept. 9-14, will draw some of the state’s top teams.
Its schedule is expected to be finalized soon. Aug. 12 at Sacred Heart; Aug.
14 at West Jessamine; Aug. 22 at Boyle County; Sept. 16 at Lafayette; Sept.
18 vs. Paul Laurence Dunbar; Sept. 26 vs.
Frederick Douglass; Sept. 28 vs. Assumption.
Megan Adkins (eighth season). 17-5. 42nd District champion.
, sr., second-team all-city, (15 goals, 10 assists), “looking to have a big year ..
. not only scoring goals but creating opportunities with her speed and creativity in the final third;” , sr., second-team all-city, (17 goals, 8 assists), “consistency, speed and goal-scoring tenacity;” , sr.
, all-city honorable mention, “a strong, fast and very intelligent center back;” , sr., (23 goals allowed in 23 games at goalkeeper), “determined to have a great season.” “It’s a fun challenge to see where we start to see how we end, and I am excited about this group’s potential, but we have a lot of work to do to reach our goals.
” Eight starters return. With 15 wins this year, Douglass would reach its 100th program victory in eight seasons even though it had only one win during its inaugural 2017 campaign. With defending state champion Bethlehem on the schedule along with Sacred Heart and Lexington Catholic this year, it’s clear the Broncos aim to compete with the best of the best.
Aug. 14 vs. Paul Laurence Dunbar; Aug.
17 vs. Dixie Heights; Aug. 21 vs.
Bethlehem; Aug. 28 at Sacred Heart; Sept. 7 vs.
Russell; Sept. 16 vs. Henry Clay; Sept.
25 at Sayre; Sept. 26 at Lexington Catholic. Taylor Roden (ninth season).
14-5. 43rd District runner-up. , sr.
, all-city honorable mention, (1 goal), “three-year varsity starter is extremely athletic;” sisters , sr., (1 goal), , jr., (4 goals, 1 assist) and , so.
, (2 goals), “are all three technical players who can run and work for days.” “I like the work ethic and willingness to learn that I’ve seen early on from team. When you’ve got a team who can work hard and is coachable, anything can happen!” Two starters return.
In addition to the Crovo sisters, Lafayette has three more sets of siblings that include two sets of twins. Aug. 12 vs.
Campbell County; Aug. 17 vs. George Rogers Clark; Aug.
26 at Bethlehem; Sept. 4 at Paul Laurence Dunbar; Sept. 9 at Lexington Christian; Sept.
16 vs. Lexington Catholic; Sept. 18 vs.
West Jessamine; Sept. 28 vs. Manual.
Haydon Warren (third season). 9-10. 42nd District runner-up.
, sr., first-team all-city, (9 goals, 6 assists), “pacey forward/outside mid. Super competitive spirit;” , sr.
, second-team all-city, Murray State commit (5 goals, 9 assists), “can play anywhere on the field;” , sr., all-city honorable mention, (1 goal, 1 assist), “leader, good ball distributor;” , so., all-city honorable mention, “a shut-down attacking player of any level.
” “We’re returning a lot of players with varsity experience, a strong senior class, and we’re looking to win region.” Eight starters return. Henry Clay had its 42nd District title win streak come to an end last season after nine straight.
The Blue Devils last won a regional in 2011 when they were in the old 13th Region. Aug. 17 vs.
Campbell County; Aug. 21 vs. Paul Laurence Dunbar; Aug.
26 at Great Crossing; Aug. 28 vs. Lexington Catholic; Sept.
4 vs. West Jessamine; Sept. 7 vs.
Assumption; Sept. 9 at Madison Central; Sept. 11 vs.
Lafayette; Sept. 16 at Frederick Douglass; Sept. 30 vs.
Sayre. Michael McKinney (11th season). 11-7.
, sr., first-team all-city, (54 goals, 7 assists), “tenacious competitor with the ability to find the back of the goal;” , sr., all-city honorable mention, (1 goal, 16 assists), “superb midfielder with the ability to get the ball into dangerous areas;” , so.
, all-city honorable mention, (2 goals, 7 assists), “had a great season in the midfield as a freshman.” “This has been a hard working team early on and they are getting along great and really coming together. If this continues, we have a chance to have a really good season.
” Monohan has 146 career goals, enough to put her in the KHSAA record books as one of the state’s top scorers. The record of 275 set by Prestonsburg’s Anna Burchett (2019-22) is out of reach, but Monohan can certainly climb the ranks. Eight starters return.
Aug. 14 vs. Madison Southern; Aug.
21 vs. Great Crossing; Sept. 18 vs.
Bryan Station; Sept. 23 at Scott County; Sept. 25 vs.
Frederick Douglass; Sept. 30 at Henry Clay. Marcel Simo (third season).
10-7. , sr., second-team all-city, (1 goal), “a center defender who’s very versatile, a hard worker and a good leader;” , so.
, all-city honorable mention, (1 goal), “willing to work hard and getting better every day.” “Our goal is to compete with other teams ..
. represent our community in a beautiful way and excel at what we do.” Four starters return, but the Bulldogs have just four seniors and three juniors.
Aug. 12 vs. Madison Central; Aug.
14 at Frederick Douglass; Aug. 21 at Henry Clay; Sept. 4 vs.
Lafayette; Sept. 11 vs. Boyle County; Sept.
16 vs. George Rogers Clark; Sept. 18 at Lexington Catholic; Sept.
25 vs. Lexington Christian. Evan Duszynski (second season).
7-11. , jr., second-team all-city (2 goals, 2 assists), “excellent all-around player who is getting looks from DI schools;” , jr.
, all-city honorable mention, (9 goals, 3 assists), “looking for her to have a bigger role and score more goals this year;” , sr., all-city honorable mention, (6 goals, 5 assists), “very talented and always a threat offensively.” “We hope to be competitive in the district and qualify for the All-A state tournament.
” Eight starters return. LCA last won a regional in 2010 when it was in the old 14th Region. The Eagles lost 2-1 to St.
Henry in the state championship game that year. Aug. 14 at Woodford County; Aug.
19 vs. Lexington Catholic; Aug. 21 at Tates Creek; Sept.
7 vs. Great Crossing; Sept. 9 vs.
Lafayette; Sept. 25 at Paul Laurence Dunbar; Sept. 30 vs.
Madison Central; Oct. 2 at Henry Clay. Mebit Aragaw (second season).
8-8. , sr., (3 assists), “has a deep understanding of the game;” , sr.
, (1 assist), “possesses strong leadership qualities ...
consistently motivates her teammates;” , sr., (2 goals), works hard and consistently raises her game.” “We are excited about this season.
Our strength is senior leadership. Also, we have a young group of players stepping up and filling the spots we are missing.” Six starters return.
The Commodores suffered three consecutive losing seasons before Aragaw took over. Their eight wins in 2023 were more than their combined wins the previous three years. Aug.
21 vs. Lexington Christian; Aug. 28 vs.
Paul Laurence Dunbar; Sept. 4 vs. Lexington Catholic; Sept.
16 vs. Sayre; Sept. 25 at Bryan Station; Sept.
30 at Lafayette. Stephanie Durbin (third season). 2-18.
, jr., second-team all-city, (313 saves), “back stronger and ready to be a force in the goal;’ , so., all-city honorable mention, (6 goals, 1 assist), “look out for this one .
.. the definition of versatility, you can tell she loves playing;” , jr.
, (4 goals, 2 assists), “versatile player with the most relentless spirit.” “We are going to have a good year. I like the talent we have and how they are meshing.
” Six starters return. Unfortunately, the Defenders are dealing with a season-ending knee injury to a key returnee for a second year in a row. Senior Makayla Sheets aims to stay on as a team manager.
Like Lafayette, Bryan Station has four sets of sisters across its varsity and JV programs. Aug. 12 at Frederick Douglass; Aug.
17 vs. Madison Central; Aug. 19 vs.
Henry Clay; Aug. 26 vs. Scott County; Aug.
29 vs. Madison Southern; Sept. 18 at Sayre; Sept.
25 vs. Tates Creek..
