Wildcats get back on track with road win over Augusta

Louisburg senior Bree Gassman dribbles down the side during a game earlier this season. The Wildcats earned a 5-1 victory over Augusta on Monday in Emporia.

EMPORIA — Louisburg needed something good to go its way after suffering setbacks in two of its last three matches.

“We had a little bit of a tough stretch there with losses against Spring Hill and Baldwin,” Louisburg coach Ben York said. “I think the girls were a little disappointed or frustrated, so we need something good to happen to change that mentality.”

The Wildcats got what they needed Monday.

Louisburg traveled to Emporia as it faced off with Augusta in a neutral site contest. From the opening whistle, the Lady Cats took control of the game and left with a 5-1 victory over the Orioles.

“I thought the girls played alright,” York said. “Augusta had a couple pretty talented players, but for the most part, the girls were focused and did some good things.

“Whenever we’ve have losses like we have, I want to take a few games to work on specific things that went wrong and that we need to correct. We definitely saw improvements in some areas, but overall it was good to see the girls leave with a win.”

Augusta suffered some bad luck early as its goalie had to leave with an injury in the opening minute and the Orioles were forced to shuffle their lineup. That led to an own goal that gave Louisburg a 1-0 lead early.

Senior Adyson Ross scored her first goal to give the Wildcats a 2-0 early in the match. Junior Ellery Allen then scored off a free kick a few minutes later.

Freshman Mena Fercho added a goal of her own late in the first half and the Wildcats took a 4-0 lead at halftime. Junior Lexi Hampton competed the Wildcats scoring a with a goal midway through the first half.

The Wildcats will try and make it back-to-back wins tonight as they host Chanute at Wildcat Stadium. Varsity is slated to begin at approximately 6 p.m.

Louisburg comes up short at home to Baldwin

Whether it was unfortunate calls, a little bit of bad luck or everything in-between, Louisburg went through it all last Thursday when the Wildcats hosted Baldwin.

Baldwin scored two early goals and the Wildcats weren’t able to come from behind in a 3-1 setback to the Bulldogs.

The Bulldogs scored their first goal on a penalty kick. From there, the Wildcats had to play catch-up and couldn’t complete the comeback despite having several chances on goal.

“I think we came out a little slow, but I thought we settled in and played well,” York said. “They scored on a penalty kick early on a questionable call and the same thing on their second goal where it looked like they had a player offsides. We were a little unlucky in that area, but that is no excuse because we had plenty of chances on our own to get back in the game.”

Louisburg registered 30 shots in the contest, including 16 in the second half, but couldn’t find the back of the net. The Wildcats were able to cut into the Baldwin lead on a goal by Bree Gassman in the first half, but could get no closer.

“We had a lot of pressure in that game, we just couldn’t get anything to go,” York said. “I think our fitness is really good right now and I think that allowed us to control the second half. We had so many opportunities, which is a good thing and something we can build on if we were to see them again.”

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