Baldwin hands Louisburg first loss of the season

By Andy Brown
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Updated: October 8, 2019

Andy Brown / Louisburg Sports Zone

Louisburg senior Landon Johnson pushes the ball up the field Thursday during the Wildcats’ match with Baldwin at Wildcat Stadium.

Louisburg was primed for revenge Thursday as the Wildcats wanted to avenge their only non-win of the season.

They were well on their way to doing that as they jumped out to an early lead over Baldwin at home. However, the Bulldogs scored two second half goals and handed Louisburg a 2-1 defeat after the two teams tied earlier in the year.

Baldwin scored the go-ahead goal with 14 minutes left in the match to get the win and it was the Wildcats’ first loss on the season.

“We played really hard and had a massive amount of possession but just couldn’t break through,” Louisburg coach Kyle Conley said. “Baldwin played with a ton of energy and capitalized on their chances. I liked how hard we played and how we didn’t give up.”

The Wildcats continue to get healthier as another starter returned to the lineup. Senior captain Ryan Haight was out on the pitch for his first action of the season against the Bulldogs and he didn’t waste any time getting involved.

Haight scored Louisburg’s lone goal with 18 minutes left in the first half as he was on the back side of the goal on a corner kick and tapped it in past the Baldwin keeper.

Louisburg (9-1-1) had its opportunities as the Wildcats had 18 shots on the night and had six on goal. Braden Yows, Haight, Cade Gassman, Treston Carlson and Colin McManigal each had chances, but were either just wide of the mark or saved.

The match remained the same until eight minutes into the second half when Baldwin tied it up, and then with 14 minutes left in the match, took the lead on a hard shot near the right side of the box that found the back of the net. Caden Prather and Colby Zimmerman scored the Baldwin goals.

The night was not all lost for Louisburg. Both teams wore special pink uniforms during the Wildcats’ Cancer Awareness night as they raised money to help a local family dealing with cancer.

Players from both teams also stood together before the varsity match as friends and family who have dealt with cancer were read aloud in their honor.

The Wildcats will try and bounce back today when they travel to Spring Hill for a 6 p.m. start at Spring Hill High School. Louisburg returns home Thursday for a match with Eudora.