Wildcats roll Ottawa on Senior Night for sixth straight win

Louisburg seniors (from left) Bailey Hallas, Reese Johnson, Kassidi Lomax, Sierra Hahn, Catie Lemke, Ruth Minster and Sammy McDaniel got a win Tuesday on Senior Night as the Wildcats cruised to a 5-1 win over Ottawa.

The Louisburg girls soccer team came into Tuesday’s home match with Ottawa riding a 5-game winning streak.

However, as much as it means to win, the Wildcats had a different agenda on their minds.

It was Senior Night for Louisburg as the Wildcats honored their seven seniors and the parents prior to the contest. The Wildcats wanted to make this night a memorable one.

They did.

Louisburg scored four second half goals and captured its sixth consecutive victory with a 5-1 win over Ottawa. The Wildcats improved their record to 12-3 on the season.

Seniors Bailey Hallas, Reese Johnson, Kassidi Lomax, Sierra Hahn, Catie Lemke, Ruth Minster and Sammy McDaniel got the win they were hoping for.

“I thought everyone stepped up and wanted to play for each other,” Louisburg coach Kyle Conley said. “We wanted to play to honor our seniors and the girls wanted to make sure they got a win for them on Senior Night. These are one of the games that you always look back on. It was good for those underclassmen to step up and made sure it was a special night.”

All seven seniors got the start, but found themselves down 1-0 early in the contest as Ottawa scored nine minutes into the match.

That didn’t last long as the Wildcats evened it up three minutes later on a goal from freshman Jaden Bentz and it remained a 1-1 tie going into halftime.

Five minutes into the second half another freshman, Rowan Yows, took a shot close to the 18 and found the back of the net to put Louisburg up, 2-1.

From there, the goals started to come a little easier.

Johnson assisted sophomore Lexi Hampton for a goal a few minutes later and then Lemke got a goal in her final regular season home match to make it, 4-1.

Freshman Baileigh Johnson sealed the win with her first varsity goal as the Wildcats were able to empty their bench and give some of their players more experience.

“I thought we just played hard out there,” Conley said. “We got to play 24 kids and it worked out really well. We had a lot of options out there and a lot of them got experience and had fun. They made a lot of memories and that was the most important thing.”

It was a dominating performance from the Wildcats, who controlled possession throughout. Louisburg outshot Ottawa 43-4, and the Wildcat defense, outside of one play, didn’t allow many dangerous opportunities.

The victory put the stamp on what was a memorable night for the seven Wildcat seniors as they prepare for their final postseason run.

“It is a great class and a special group,” Conley said. “They have been through the trials and tribulations and worked hard. Each year it is a special group of kids that turn into the type of ladies you want them to be. They are servant leaders and want to take care of others and work hard every day. You just have to love them. They are good kids.”

Louisburg will travel to Spring Hill, the Frontier League champion, for a match tonight to conclude the regular season. From there, the Wildcats will focus on doing some damage in the postseason as regional action begins next week.

“It will be (Spring Hill’s) senior night and they are on quite a roll right now,” Conley said. “It is going to be a really tough match and they are extremely talented with two Division I forwards. They have a lot talent and speed and we just have to do our best to prepare.

“As for regionals, we could get the No. 1 or 2 seed, and if that happens, we would get a bye and I think that would help us quite a bit. It is a log jam at the bottom, so we are trying to figure out who we are going to have. The girls are excited for it though.”

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