State-Journal.com - Flyers' magical run ends

State Journal/Kelly Mackey Franklin County’s Oscar Urbina (17) and Zach Newman walk off the field as Danville’s Damir Karapandzic (14) and Blake Hobson celebrate after the Admrials won the Section 4 championship match 3-2 Thursday at Sower 2.

State Journal/Kelly Mackey Franklin County’s Tyler Crombie (11) runs past Danville’s Ethan Hobson as he looks for an open teammate to pass to during the Section 4 championship game Thursday.

State Journal/Kelly Mackey Franklin County’s Bryce Burton, right, makes a move towards the goal as Danville’s Karl Hempel, left, and Louis Beto defend during the Section 4 championship match Thursday at Sower Soccer Field 2. Danville won 3-2.

Franklin County’s run in the state soccer tournament ended Thursday night. The Flyers’ unprecedented accomplishments will stand forever.

A muddy field and scrappy Danville team proved Franklin County’s undoing in the Section 4 championship played at Sower Soccer Field 2. The Admirals fought back from a 2-1 halftime deficit to score two unanswered goals in the second half, winning 3-2.

The Flyers entered the game as the only team in school history to win a regional championship and dispatched Lexington powerhouse Paul Laurence Dunbar 1-0 in the sub-sectional contest earlier in the week.

In the muck and the mire, however, all the momentum built up over the last three weeks slid to a sickening halt.
“The field conditions made it hard for us to play our style,” FCHS coach Zac Donnelly said.

“We typically like to play fast, quick, try to beat people with speed up top, and when you don’t have any traction that’s hard to do.”

In a seesaw battle between two skilled teams, Franklin County led 2-1 at the intermission, but it took Danville just two minutes to tie it up in the second half.

Evan Harlow looped a shot from the top of the 18-yard box over FCHS goalkeeper Travis Pettry for the equalizer.

Oscar Urbina nearly put the Flyers back on top at the 35:00 mark, but his goal was nullified on an offsides call. FCHS was caught offsides 10 times in the contest against the Admirals’ trap.

“They did a good job on their offsides trap,” Donnelly said. “I think we scored two goals where we were caught offsides.”

Danville’s decisive goal came at the 24:55 mark when Kevin Lopez kicked the ball into the right side of the net from the top of the box. Franklin County only allowed two shots on goal in the second half. Both shots proved costly.

“They liked to play the ball to the outside and cross it over the top of us to the far side, get in behind us,” defender Adam Jones said of the Admirals’ attack.

“With these field conditions it’s hard to keep your footing. We had a hard time getting started when we started running, so they got through on us a couple times.”

The Flyers scrambled to tie the game in the final 20 minutes. Bryce Burton got past the back line with 5:30 to play but his shot sailed well high. Two minutes later, a FCHS corner kick attempt was smothered by Danville goalkeeper Byron Hempel as Danville packed the box in the final minutes.

“They jumped on us,” Donnelly said. “When we had the momentum going, them sticking a goal in took the momentum back.”
The momentum was firmly on Franklin County’s side to begin the game. Nine minutes into the contest, Burton broke the Danville trap with a diagonal pass to Lyndon McKee that the senior midfielder drilled past the keeper.

Danville responded seconds later, however, knotting the game 1-1 at the 31:05 mark on a goal by Ethan Hobson.

Garrett Hamilton gave FCHS the halftime edge on a goal similar to McKee’s with Zach Newman getting the assist.

“Instead of forwards running through, we were trying to send midfielders through or hit the diagonal ball, which worked for us,” Donnelly said.

But not often enough.

The disappointment was palpable on the Franklin County sideline after the game, but not a single Flyer hung his head.

“This is the best team in Franklin County history,” Donnelly said. “They need to be proud of what they’ve done because they’re an unbelievable team.”

The senior-laden squad struggled with injuries during the regular season, but hit its stride in the postseason, winning five straight postseason matches and outscoring opponents 14-5.

“A tough bunch of guys,” Jones said. “We put in a lot of effort in the summer, put in a lot of effort all season, practicing every day. I’m glad we made it this far. It has been a pleasure playing with all these guys.”

The Flyers finished with a record of 15-7-2.

“It didn’t take a lot of motivation on my part to have them working hard,” Donnelly said. “That’s the kind of team a coach dreams of having.”