Wildcats off to best start in school history with win over Topeka West

The Louisburg girls soccer team has made a lot of history in recent years, and after Tuesday’s home victory over Topeka West, the Wildcats made a little more.

Louisburg defeated Topeka West, 5-0, and the Wildcats improved their record to 5-0 on the season – which is the best start in program history. It was also the fifth consecutive shutout.

On a team where a majority of the roster is filled with freshmen and sophomores, the Wildcats continue to set new heights for themselves.

“I think that is something that this young team should celebrate,” Louisburg coach Kyle Conley said. “It was not an easy road and as many players as we have to replace, this really says something to their work ethic and commitment to each other.”

It was another dominating performance from the Wildcats as they have now outscored their opponents 30-0 on the year and got out to a quick start Tuesday.

Junior Reese Johnson opened the game with a goal and freshman Lexi Hampton followed it up with one of her own to give Louisburg a 2-0 halftime lead.

Louisburg was getting plenty of looks as it tallied 33 shots on goal and had 53 shots for the game. The Wildcats had a couple taken away due to penalties, but Conley was pleased with his team’s attack, despite going against a physical Topeka West team.

“Throughout the Topeka West match, I felt our girls took their game to another level,” Conley said. “We showed we could handle that style of play, and in fact, I think it motivated us. They girls locked them down in the second half and absolutely dominated. I would have liked our execution to be a little better, but when they put 10 kids behind the ball it makes it difficult. 

“Playing against teams that do that help us quite a bit in the long run because it allows the players to work on their creativity and problem solve a little bit, which is fantastic for our freshmen and sophomores. Upperclassmen did a great job of leading by example and setting the tone for us. They stepped up and played extremely hard. Their leadership has been very valuable to our team.”

The Wildcats continued to put the pressure on in the second half as senior Emma Christy scored her first goal of the season. A few minutes later, Louisburg was awarded a penalty kick and senior Olivia Barber found the back of the net to put Louisburg up 4-0.

Freshman Lola Edwards sealed the win with a goal late in the second half. Edwards, Barber and Hampton also had assists.

Defensively, the Wildcats never gave Topeka West a good luck at the goal as the Chargers had just two shots for the game. Goalie Sierra Hahn was able to earn the clean sheet.

Louisburg will have its toughest test of the season tonight as the Wildcats travel to Spring Hill. The match is set to begin at 6 p.m.

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