Wildcats get wins over Eudora, Paola to stay tied atop league standings

Louisburg junior Ayden Deterding (left) celebrates with his teammates after he scored his first varsity goal Thursday at home against Eudora.

For the second time in a week, the Louisburg boys soccer team found themselves up against a state-ranked opponent.

And for the second time, the Wildcats were on the right side of the scoreboard.

Louisburg, which is currently ranked No. 3 in Class 4-1A, outlasted No. 6 Eudora for a 2-1 victory Thursday at the Wildcat Sports Complex. The Wildcats had another win off the field as they wore pink jerseys for their Breast Cancer Awareness game and raised money for a Louisburg family battling the disease.

The victory also left them and Spring Hill tied atop the Frontier League standings. Eudora was tied with the two schools heading into the match.

“If we wanted a shot at the Frontier League title, we needed to beat Eudora,” Louisburg coach Kyle Conley said. “It is up in the air, but we know what it is going to take and we still have a goal after losing two games in a row. We are starting to get pieces back, we are developing some really good chemistry, but this was a really big win for us.”

The match was scoreless midway through the first half until junior Ayden Deterding scored his first varsity goal from the top of the 18 on an assist from Ethan Ptacek to give Louisburg a 1-0 lead.

Eight minutes later, Eudora tied the match with a goal from Daniel Stone. It didn’t last long as the Cardinals were called for a foul in the box on Louisburg freshman Colton Blue.

Wildcat senior Braden Yows converted the penalty kick late in the first half and it turned out to be the game-winning goal.

Overall, Louisburg controlled possession and outshot the Cardinals, 24-10, but had problems finding the back of the net. Hunter Rogers, Ethan Ptacek, Cade Gassman, Yows, Deterding, Colin McManigal and Isaac Guetterman all had shots on goal.

“Eudora plays hard and did a really good job, but I think we just had the better of play, but we couldn’t finish that third part,” Conley said. “The kids executed really well and I thought we did a really good job of taking away the middle when they got the ball. We got as wide as we could when we got the ball and I think that helped us tremendously. We were able to stretch them a little bit and wear them out.

“We really had a lot of opportunities and it was just shot after shot and that is great, but we just couldn’t get many to go. We would either miss or their goalie just had a great save.”

Louisburg’s defense came through in a big way late in the contest. Eudora had two shots on goal in the final 30 seconds, but junior goalie Mack Newell turned both opportunities away to preserve the win. 

Newell finished the night with eight saves, and got help from his defense as they limited the Cardinals’ opportunities.

“Mack is getting back to form and he is starting to stay disciplined,” Conley said. “He is getting refined and getting reps and is doing a really good job. I’m proud of his focus and determination. In practice we made sure he was ready as we put a shooting gallery on him. We worked on some things and I thought we did a good job.”

Louisburg is back in action this Thursday when the Wildcats host Topeka High. Varsity will begin at approximately 6 p.m.

Wildcats shutout Paola

Louisburg picked up its sixth victory in a row Monday night as the Wildcats blanked rival Paola, 5-0.

The Wildcats, which scored just once in the first half, broke the match open with four in the second half.

“I felt the boys came out and absolutely dominated the game,” Louisburg coach Kyle Conley said. “We moved the ball very well and the boys attacked all night. We were disciplined in the back and really didn’t let them over midfield very often. I think the boys were sharp and focused. We took care of the ball and did a nice job of taking what they gave us.

“Coach (Bobby) Bovaird and I were on the boys pretty hard to make sure they didn’t look past this game. We have our goals and it is important that we focus each and every game to achieve them.”

Louisburg controlled the match from the opening whistle as it outshot the Panthers, 40-2, and didn’t allow any dangerous opportunities.

“Defensively, we took away what they wanted to do and frustrated them a lot,” Conley said. “I also felt that our press caused a lot of turnovers. We moved the ball very well and took what they gave to us. We were able to move some kids arounds and get some different looks.”

Sophomore Austin Jamison got the scoring started midway through the first half on an assist from Gavin York to put the Wildcats up 1-0.

Junior Cade Gassman scored three straight goals to record the hat trick. Braden Yows also found the back of the net once.

Hunter Rogers, Emmett White and Ethan Ptacek each finished with an assist.