Wildcats fall to Piper in title game after another round of PKs

Louisburg sophomore Rowan Yows battles for a 50-50 ball last week against Bonner Springs in the semifinals of the Golden Bear Tournament at Turner High School.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Penalty kicks is somewhat of a rarity when it comes to high school soccer.

Louisburg found itself in some rarified air Friday in the championship game of the Golden Bear Tournament as the Wildcats had to go to penalty kicks for the second time in five days.

The Wildcats squared off with Piper for the tournament title and found itself all tied up after regulation. Unfortunately for Louisburg, this version of penalty kicks weren’t as successful.

Louisburg lost out to Piper in the penalty kicks, 4-3, and lost the match, 2-1, as the Wildcats suffered their first loss of the season. The Wildcats won the opening round of the tournament against Shawnee Mission North on PKs.

“In the history of this program, we may have had two matches go to penalty kicks before this tournament, so to have two in five days is pretty rare,” Louisburg coach Ben York said. “We were the most fit team in the end of that game. I think if we had five more minutes, I think we would have scored and won it in regulation.

“Everything but the win was taken as a positive from this game. Piper was a team that allowed us to get better this early in the season. It seemed like a postseason tournament environment and it was pretty intense. It really felt like our season was riding on this game. Even though we lost, it was good for the girls to experience the type of atmosphere.”

Louisburg’s defense had a chore as the Wildcats tried to slow down Piper’s Sierra Montez and Montez got the better of play early as she gave Piper a 1-0 advantage early on.

Later in the first half, the Wildcats found the equalizer, albeit in an unconventional way. The Pirates were called for handball in the box, which gave the Wildcats a penalty kick opportunity. 

Junior Lola Edwards got the the chance and put the ball away and the match was tied at halftime.

Montez and the Pirates still had several opportunities to score, but the Wildcat back line did their best to thwart those opportunities.

“(Montez) was just that disruptive,” York said. “She is a talented player who really liked to just go 1-on-1. We did a good job of limiting the damage, but doing that, it hindered us from being as connected as we want to be on the offensive end. 

“I thought Rowan (Yows) did a good job of marking her in the first half and then Faith (Sewell) did a good job in the second. Then I think Piper got a little tired and we were able to get some chances on our end.”

The Wildcats (4-1) took control of the possession in the second half and had a few opportunities to take the lead, but couldn’t take advantage.

“We definitely had all the momentum there, and if we had a little extra time, who knows what could have happened,” York said.

Louisburg will try and bounce back Thursday when it travels to Spring Hill for a Frontier League matchup. The match is set to begin at 6 p.m.

“Two out of the 3 teams were quality teams that we played in this tournament and that was helpful for us,” York said. “With two more days of good practice, we will be prepared to play our best soccer. Hopefully that will be good enough against Spring Hill, but it will be a tough test for sure. We are going to bring good energy. We are in good fitness right now and hopefully we will have a good squad ready to go.”

Wildcats blank Bonner Springs in semis

In between two stressful outings of the Golden Bear Tournament, Louisburg had a little bit of fun last Wednesday in the semifinals.

The Wildcats scored seven first half goals en route to a 10-0 rout of Bonner Springs that put them in the championship round against Piper.

Junior Lexi Hampton was responsible for half of the scoring as she recorded a hat trick and had five goals in total. Senior Adyson Ross followed suit with a hat trick of her own.

Sophomore Baileigh Johnson and senior Brylee Diederich also found the back of the net for the first time this season.

Junior goalie Macy Lemke earned the clean sheet for Louisburg.