ROBERTSON WRECKS RECORDS: Somerset takes down Lincoln in reg. season finale

Photo by Jacob Pratt: Somerset senior Tori Robertson (10) goes on the attack near the goal during the Jumpers' 5-2 victory over Lincoln County on Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024.

SOMERSET - The Somerset Lady Jumpers were back in action for one last time, at least in the regular season, at Clara Morrow Field on Thursday, where they welcomed in the Lady Patriots of Lincoln County. For one senior on Somerset, Thursday was a chance at 'her'story as well, with Tori Robertson sitting just two goals away from setting the single season goal-scoring record at Somerset High, previously held by all-time great Audrey Anderson at 59.

You could tell the Jumpers were focused from the opening whistle and before long Robertson etched her name in the history books by surpassing the record with all five goals in a 5-2 victory over Lincoln County.

Robertson was locked in from the beginning of the contest, having her first shot attempt in the very first minute of the game, although it went over the net. A shot in the next minute by Storey Justice was deflected away by sophomore goalkeeper Sarah Bowman. Robertson was able to get goal number 59 of the season to tie the record just two minutes later, as she had a breakaway attempt that resulted in her shot sailing into the left side of the goal to put the Jumpers up 1-0 early in the evening's affair.

Robertson had several great looks at the record in the next several minutes, although all of her attempts were slightly off, with Isabella McKenzie also having several quality looks at the net. Lincoln finally got their first shot attempt of the game in the ninth minute, with a shot from senior Hallie Mullins going over the top of the goal.

You've heard of the song "All I Do Is Win" by DJ Khaled, but for Robertson all she does is score goals and score them in bunches as well, as she had her second goal of the game in the 10th minute after some creative footwork and dribbling near the net. This also broke the single season record and gave her the 60th goal of an incredible season. Robertson now has the all-time career record, also held by Audrey Anderson, in her sights with that sitting at 134, but the senior felt blessed after the game and noted that she's going to use it as fuel heading into the postseason.

"It means a lot that I could break the record at home. It sets a good tone heading into the postseason, and that second goal gave me a lot of motivation to keep playing hard for the remainder of the night's game," she explained, although clearly exhausted after yet another awe-inspiring performance on the pitch.

Somerset kept applying pressure to a Lincoln County defense that seemed ready to crumble, with Robertson, Justice and Tara Mink all having shot attempts over the next six minutes. Robertson wouldn't be denied in the 17th minute though, as the senior earned yet another hat trick (her 12th of the season) on a free kick from at least 25 yards away from the net on an absolutely booming shot, making it 3-0 in favor of the home team with the first 20 minutes still not yet being done.

Photo by Jacob Pratt: Somerset senior Isabella McKenzie (7) attempts to shield the ball from an opposing player during the Jumpers' victory over Lincoln County on Thursday night.

Robertson almost had her fourth goal of the night in the 24th minute but her shot bounced off the top crossbar and was just a fraction off from crossing the goal line. It took another eight minutes, but Robertson found the back of the net for the fourth time in the 32nd minute, with her shot bouncing past a diving goalkeeper for a 4-0 Somerset lead. The Jumpers held that comfortable lead heading into the halftime break.

Robertson had numerous attempts in the opening minutes of the second half, although she couldn't get any of them to connect with their target. The senior had a perfectly-placed cross in the 47th minute to Bella Gregory, but her header attempt just slightly missed the top part of the goal. The Lady Patriots continued to push the ball to their side of the field and in the 48th minute finally had their first goal of the contest, as senior Ella Franklin had her shot sail into the far-left side of the goal to cut a bit into the Somerset lead as the Jumpers now led 4-1.

Robertson had an attempt from near the top of the box in the 49th minute that just barely missed snugging into the side of the net. Somerset seemingly couldn't buy a goal in the second half and saw their halftime lead be cut in half in the 52nd minute, with senior Kylie Jenkins having a shot near the top of the box that wound up curving into the side of the net past a surprised Aijah Carrender in net, making the score 4-2 with still near 30 minutes to play in this one.

Over the next 20 or so minutes, neither team could manage to get a goal on the board, but the Jumpers certainly tried with multiple attempts from Robertson, McKenzie, who was clearly frustrated with the amount of shots she attempts with no goal, and Gregory. Lincoln sophomore Mia Bodner had multiple attempts in the 64th minute, but Carrender quickly prevented each try.

Photo by Jacob Pratt: Somerset senior Bella Gregory (9) chases down a loose ball during the game between the Lady Jumpers and the Lincoln County Lady Patriots on Thursday.

Robertson put the exclamation point on her record-breaking performance in the 70th minute, as she scored goal number five of the evening from near the top of the box to give her team a three-goal cushion and to give her 63 goals for the season, just four away from breaking Audrey Anderson's career scoring mark at Somerset. The Jumpers then played solid defense for the remaining 10 minutes of the game and came away with the 5-2 win over their opponents to conclude the regular season on a positive note. Head coach Ben Robertson was very pleased with the way his team performed and seemed to be hopeful heading into postseason play.

"First half of play was great, everything was going great and when things are going like that it is hard to ask for more from these girls. Second half we had a few lapses in concentration, but we will take 5-2. Lincoln is a decent team, you just don't know what you are going to get with them which is sort of like our team. If we keep playing like this, it is what you want as a coach heading into the postseason," he elucidated.

Somerset finishes the regular season with a record of 12-6-1. They will begin their postseason journey on Saturday in the 47th District semifinals at Northern Middle School as the number one seed, where they will take on Rockcastle County at 10 a.m.

Independent local stories like this are available to capture the essence of local sports. Support my continued independent work solely funded by donations. Local sport stories always deserve full coverage, it is my passion to highlight the talent and hard work put in by our youth. If you feel like donating, my Venmo is @PRATT-3523.