Demba Jawo propels DeSales soccer to Elite Eight at state, eliminating Bardstown
The dream season for DeSales' soccer team continued Monday night.
Junior midfielder Andrew Donohue and senior forward Demba Jawo provided all the offense, leading the Colts to a 3-0 victory against Bardstown.
Jawo, a 6-foot-9 native of Senegal, came to the United States last year to play basketball, but he decided to give soccer a try this season. Mission accomplished. Jawo, who scored the final two goals Monday night, leads the Colts with 13 goals and eight assists.
“(Demba) has scored a lot of goals for us, and they are important goals,” DeSales coach Ryan Glynn said. “He is a presence that everyone has to be aware of. For him to score those goals, that’s what we expect from Demba, and he did his job.”
Jawo, who speaks seven languages, said he has the same mentality for both sports.
"I am always locked in, and I play hard,” Jawo said. “I believe in my teammates and my coaches to win. I play like this in order to win.”
Jawo said DeSales has what it takes to win its first state soccer championship.
“The team performance was very good. We played very good offensively and defensively," Jawo said.
Colts junior goalkeeper Parker Collins posted his fifth shutout of the season Monday night.
“I think that was one of the best performances we have had as a group.” Collins said. “Not a lot of action in the attacking third from Bardstown, which was good. Hopefully it stays that way for the rest of the tournament.”
Collins said Jawo motivates the squad.
“You can tell a difference when he gets subbed in and out,” Collins said. “With Demba being here for only a year, he brings positivity, and he keeps us in check, too. He’s a really good player.”
The Colts will host the winner of Madisonville-North Hopkins/McCracken County on Thursday in an Elite Eight match.
“I’m excited to see who comes out of that McCracken County/Madisonville-North Hopkins game. Both teams are very good. We know it’s going to be a tough game, but we will approach it just like we did tonight: nothing new, continue to do what we do well,” Glynn said.
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This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: KHSAA soccer: DeSales advances to Elite Eight of state tournament
