FOR THE PURPLE: Lady Jumpers take down Casey on senior night

Photo by Jacob Pratt: Somerset senior Tori Robertson (10) goes on the attack and dribbles past a defender during the Jumpers' 8-3 win over Casey County on Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024.

SOMERSET - It was an evening of bittersweet emotions on Tuesday at Clara Morrow Field, as the Somerset Lady Jumpers hosted the Casey County Lady Rebels for their senior night. Eight great seniors were celebrated in Aijah Carrender, Arianna Childrey, Bella Gregory, Ella Latavong, Isabella McKenzie, Tara Mink, Tori Robertson and Evie Thompson. A stellar group of young woman who all got to start on this night, and it didn't take long to get the scoring rolling.

The Rebels, to be frank, were game for the challenge that the Jumpers presented, at least for the first 20 or so minutes, with the game being tied halfway through the first half. However, Somerset woke up finally on the offensive end, outscoring their opponents 6-1 the rest of the way through to take home a convincing 8-3 win that improved them to 5-0 in district play this season.

Within the first 20 seconds of the game starting, Somerset found themselves on the board after a Bella Gregory goal, with the senior rebounding a shot from Tori Robertson for the 1-0 lead. Isabella McKenzie had a trio of shots over the next three minutes that narrowly missed their mark, before Robertson had her first goal of the game in the fourth minute following some creative dribbling and with a shot that sailed over the goalkeeper and a defender for a quick 2-0 Somerset lead.

Photo by Jacob Pratt: Somerset senior Isabella McKenzie (7) dribbles the ball down the field during the Jumpers' victory over Casey County on Tuesday.

Things seemed to be going smoothly until the ninth minute, when Casey sophomore Madi Campbell scored off a pass into the left side of the goal, trimming the Jumper lead to just one. Frustrating misses on offense continued for the home team, with Robertson, McKenzie and Storey Justice each missing several shots. Casey County tied things up in the 21st minute, with senior Johonna Harpin connecting with the back of the net to level things at 2-2.

Little to worry for the Jumpers however, as Robertson found goal number two of the evening in the 27th minute after being fouled in the box, with her penalty kick sailing right into the left side of the goal for a 3-2 lead. That lead stretched to two in the 35th minute, as McKenzie had her first goal of the game off a follow from a Robertson shot that hit the top crossbar. Somerset ended the half with an overwhelming shot lead, totaling 18 shots over the first 40 minutes, and took a 4-2 edge into the break.

Robertson didn't take long to get her hat trick in the second half, as just two minutes into the period she connected with a shot that bounced off the ground and over the goalkeeper, giving her team a 5-2 lead. More shot attempts followed by Robertson, McKenzie and Gregory, but none of them could find their mark. Casey had their first goal since midway through the first half in the 51st minute, with the shot going over top of the goalkeeper to trim the Jumpers' advantage to 5-3.

Photo by Jacob Pratt: Somerset senior Bella Gregory (right) fakes out an opposing player with a dribble move during the game between the Lady Jumpers and the Casey County Lady Rebels on Tuesday evening.

It was all Somerset from there, however. Robertson got her fourth goal of the night near the top of the box in the 53rd minute, with her shot sailing over a leaping keeper for a 6-3 lead. The senior wasn't done either, as in the 60th minute she had another shot near the top of the box that connected for her fifth goal of the ball game to make it 7-3. McKenzie managed to add one more goal for her second in the 78th minute, finding some space near the goal to shoot it right into the top portion of the net to put her team on top 8-3. Two minutes later, Somerset was celebrating a successful senior night, with head coach Ben Robertson extremely proud of his senior group following the conclusion of the contest.

"Great to see Tori, Bella and Izzy all score on senior night. They've all had incredible careers. I told my seniors before the game though, this is not the last dance. All three have carried injuries all season that would sideline most players, yet they have the school pride and commitment to play and contribute. I'm so proud of these girls," he explained.

Somerset improves to 9-4-1 with the win and will be back in action on Saturday, where they will host Southwestern in a rivalry showdown between two of the top teams in the 12th Region.

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