Wildcat soccer shuts out Piper to take third at Turner Invite

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Coming off its first loss of the season, the Louisburg girls soccer team didn’t want to turn one into two.

Not only did the Wildcats have to face off with Piper on Friday in the third place game of the Turner Invitational, but they had to battle rainy and windy weather in the process.

Despite a few scares in the first half, the Wildcats got a goal before halftime and held on for a 1-0 victory over the Pirates at Turner High School. It was the fourth shutout of the season for Louisburg.

“I thought we had a really solid game against Piper, especially in the second half,” Louisburg coach Jordan Roquemore said. “The scoreboard may not have showed it, but we put a dominant performance second half. We had six shots on goal and probably another six or seven great opportunities in their box. Defensively, we did not allow any opportunities or shots in the second half. Despite the rain and low score, I was very pleased with our performance.”

Both team opened the match with a few chances on goal, that were either stopped by the keeper or sailed just wide of the goal.

The Wildcats started to gain momentum late in the first half and got the upper hand thanks to a set piece off a corner kick.

Senior Baileigh Johnson took the corner and passed it off to Briella Diehl, who sent it right back to Johnson. The Louisburg forward shot it from 18 yards out to give the Wildcats a 1-0 advantage.

“We’ve worked on our set piece plays since the second week of the season,” Roquemore said. “Baileigh, with an assist from Briella, pulled off one of our corner plays brilliantly. It was a beautiful shot and it’s always nice when something in your plans works out well.”

In the second half, the Wildcats controlled possession and didn’t allow a shot on target for the Pirates. The back line of Lila Edwards, Caroline Apple, Cora Roche, Jaden Bentz, Faith Sewell, Rylee Moore and Ellia Gibbons limited the dangerous opportunities. 

Senior goalie Ally Brown earned her fourth clean sheet of the season as the Wildcats improved their record to 4-1 on the season.

Today, the Wildcats will face their toughest opponent of the young season, Spring Hill, as they host the Broncos in a Frontier League matchup. Varsity is set for approximately 6 p.m.

“We are going from our busiest week straight into our only one-game week this season,” Roquemore said. “After our game this week, we will have some time to dissect and reflect on our play the last couple of weeks.

“Spring Hill is the perpetual Frontier League champion and we have suffered some big losses to them in the past. However, we had a great game against them last year, bringing them into overtime before losing 2-3. I expect a really good game at home. We will be ready to play.”

Related Posts

• Wildcats bounce back with road win at Tonganoxie
• Wildcat boys take fourth in Paola; win 4×400, pole vault
• Wildcat girls win four events at Paola Invite, take third overall