Wildcats split first two games of Turner Invitational

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Coming off an 8-0 win against Raytown in the first round of the Turner Invitational on Monday, the Louisburg girls soccer team was hoping to take the next step to advancing to the championship game.

The Wildcats squared off with Sumner Academy in the semifinals Wednesday at Turner High School and faced their toughest test of the young season.

Louisburg came up just short as Sumner scored two second half goals to hand the Wildcats their first loss of the season, 2-1.

“Losing was a good wake-up call for us,” Louisburg coach Jordan Roquemore said. “We were not ready for the speed and determination Sumner brought in their play. In our first three games, we were the faster team and were given a lot of space to play. When we have space, we possess, we open the field and we create opportunities. If we want to compete at a high level, we need to raise our game when we face faster, better opponents.”

It was a scoreless first half as the Wildcat defense kept them it. Louisburg didn’t have a shot on goal, compared to five for Sumner Academy.

Less than a minute into the second half, Sumner finally broke through with the first goal of the match, before scoring again five minutes later. The Sabres had several shots on target as senior goalie Ally Brown had 14 saves for Louisburg.

The Wildcats didn’t have a shot on target till after halftime, but started to create momentum midway through the second half thanks to Faith Sewell.

The Louisburg defender took a free kick from about 35 yards out and the shot curled into the corner of the net for a goal and cut the Sumner lead in half.

“Faith’s goal was a huge momentum shift for us,” Roquemore said. “For the next 12-15 minutes after the goal, we started playing our game with confidence. We created three more opportunities to score in that time, but were just unable to finish any of them to tie it up.”

Louisburg (3-1) nearly tied the game up with 10 minutes left after Rowan Yows crossed it into the box and found Mena Fercho. The Louisburg junior shot it near the net, ricocheted off the Sumner goalie and was rolling toward the line, only to be kicked away at the last second. 

Goals were not a problem for the Wildcats on Monday against Raytown. Louisburg scored five in the first half and eventually put the match away in the second to envoke the mercy rule.

Yows, senior Baileigh Johnson and freshman Kahlan Harris each had two goals and an assist to lead the Wildcat attack. Sewell and Briella Diehl also had a goal, while Fercho added an assist in the win. 

“We played with a lot of confidence and offensive firepower against Raytown,” Roquemore said. “They gave us space to work and we really dominated possession and did not allow them any good opportunities to score.”

Louisburg will try and get back on the winning track tonight as it travels back to Turner to face off with Piper in the third place game. The match is set to begin at 6 p.m.

The Wildcats will return home Tuesday for another challenging matchup as they host Spring Hill for Frontier League play.

“Friday will be an important reset,” Roquemore said. “We will be facing Piper in the third place game. Two years ago they beat us in penalty kicks at this same tournament. If we aim to prove that we are one of the top few teams in 4A, Friday is a great opportunity to step up and play our best soccer. 

“Next week, we will face a fast, talented Spring Hill team. Spring Hill has been the perpetual league champion as long as I have been coaching here. Last year, we brought them to overtime and lost. I expect a good, tough game for us and another one that will force us to prove ourselves.”