Baldwin hands Louisburg first loss of the season

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.