St. Henry ended Dixie Heights’ six-year reign as 34th District girls soccer champion Wednesday, Oct. 14, winning 3-0 at James Rigney Memorial Stadium in Ludlow for its first district title since 2019.
Mady Lux, Bella O’Neill and Ashlyn Landerwitch scored for the Crusaders. Lux was named tournament MVP.
St. Henry enters the 9th Region tournament as district champion, while Dixie Heights advances as runner-up.
St. Henry rolled into the title game after an 8-0 semifinal rout of Lloyd Memorial on Tuesday, Oct. 13. Dixie Heights reached the final with a 6-1 semifinal win over Villa Madonna the same evening, according to LinkNKY's district tournament scoreboard.
The 34th District bracket opened Monday, Oct. 12, when Lloyd Memorial edged host Ludlow 1-0 in overtime in the lone quarterfinal. Bautista scored the winning goal for Lloyd Memorial, which improved to a 6-7-1 record into the match. Ludlow finished 7-9-1, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.
The Crusaders' girls program entered the district tournament with postseason experience. St. Henry advanced to the All "A" state tournament in mid-September after knocking off back-to-back All ‘A’ state champion Bishop Brossart in penalty kicks, 4-1, following a 1-1 draw, according to LinkNKY. Anna Bain scored the equalizer in the 63rd minute on an assist from Hayden Harlan. Goalkeeper Kaylee Ryan made five saves and stopped two penalty kicks in that match. Anna Yuskewich, Ava Waymeyer, Bella O'Neill and Mady Lux converted from the spot, with Lux clinching the win.
The 3-0 district final was decisive.
On the boys side, Dixie Heights claimed the 34th District championship Oct. 14, beating St. Henry 3-1.
The 9th Region girls tournament field will include St. Henry, Dixie Heights, Ryle, Conner, Notre Dame, Holy Cross, Newport Central Catholic and two-time defending champion Highlands, the NKY Tribune reported. Region play begins the week of Oct. 19.
