Still stewing in Heath ... and rightfully so

Heath's soccer program is still reeling from last week's 2-1 loss to Henderson County in the sectional final, with Henderson breaking a longstanding 1-1 tie with a goal in the final 30 seconds. The defeat cost the Pirates their first appearance in the state semifinals.

It isn't the loss that has the Pirates stewing — it's the way it happened. Heath midfielder Brock Jordan was assessed a red card with a little over 30 minutes remaining, ejecting him from the match and forcing the Pirates to play a man down for the rest of the night.

Given a chance to review a tape of the match, it's obvious that Jordan's ejection — officially, for throwing a punch at an opposing player — was an injustice to him and his teammates.

Here's what happened:
See video posted to You Tube ...
Henderson puts the ball into Heath territory with a free kick, and two players — Jordan and Henderson star Jordan Gregory — converge on the loose ball near midfield with Heath defender Eric Straub close by.

The rest occurred exactly as Jordan described it after the match: the two players' arms get tangled as they battle for control of the ball, when it appears that Jordan is wheeled around and forcefully thrown to the ground. No visual evidence, whatsoever, shows Jordan throwing a punch at the Henderson player, and indeed it is Jordan that ends up on the turf.

At the time, play was stopped, and I was under the impression that Heath would be awarded possession and that perhaps Gregory would receive a yellow card. Instead, Jordan — once he got up after spending a few seconds on the ground — was assessed the red card.

Heath coach Mark Madison was told by the referee that Jordan threw a punch, but Madison — like everyone else associated with the Pirates' program — remains incredulous at the decision ... not to mention, a little angry.

Officially, the Pirates have no recourse. They can't ask for the match to be replayed from the time of the incident detailed above, and the result stands — Henderson takes on Fort Thomas Highlands in Thursday night's semifinals at Toyota Stadium in Georgetown.

Madison isn't planning to let the incident drop quietly. He intends to send copies of the match to the Kentucky High School Athletic Association and to the Elizabethtown-based organization that sanctions the referee and two linesmen that worked the match.

He also hopes to rescind Jordan's one-game suspension that is automatically assessed with a red-card ejection, so that he can play in next season's opener.

Unfortunately, nothing more can be done. And it won't certainly change the disappointment and the feeling that Heath didn't get much of a fair shake.