Louisburg seniors (front row, from left) Christian Scholtz, Grant Ryals, Ambrose Stefan, Scott Murphy, Kyle Allen; (back row) David Holiday, Jarod Rose, Dalton Ribordy, Kris Light and Raistlin Brewer were all honored before tonight’s 6-0 victory over Ottawa.
Louisburg senior Scott Murphy clears the ball out of the back Monday during the Wildcats make-up game with Piper at Wildcat Soccer Stadium. The Wildcats lost the match, 2-0.
As the Louisburg High School boys soccer team walked off the pitch at Wildcat Soccer Stadium following Monday’s 2-0 loss to Piper, the Wildcats’ mood wasn’t a great one.
However, once a few more minutes passed, their mood perked up a bit.
Louisburg entered Monday tied with De Soto for the Frontier League lead, but later that evening De Soto was handed a 2-0 league loss by Baldwin, which ultimately gave the Wildcats a least a share of their first league title since 2010.
The Wildcats (10-5) will have an opportunity to keep the league title all to themselves tonight when they host Ottawa on Senior Night.
“Losing to Piper in the fashion that we did was extremely frustrating, but the silver lining was Baldwin beating De Soto,” Louisburg coach Kyle Conley said. “It guarantees us at least a share of a league title. It was nice, but we need to stay focused because we still have a lot of work to do. We have an opportunity to win it outright and Ottawa has been playing much better so we will have our hands full.”
Before the loss to Piper, the Wildcats picked up a crucial road win last Thursday when they traveled to Eudora and left with a 2-0 win.
It wasn’t easy as Eudora played a different formation and kept several players back, making it more difficult for Louisburg to get quality shots on goal. The Wildcats kept pressing the attack and took 22 shots.
Senior David Holiday broke open a scoreless game in the second half with a goal, and a few minutes later, junior Chris Williams added another goal to all but seal the win for Louisburg.
“Eudora packed it in quite a bit,” Conley said. “They played the majority of the game with nine guys behind the ball. They did whatever they could to take away passing lanes and make it difficult to break through. We eventually broke them down with two non-starters stepping up big time and finding the back of the net.
“The boys were frustrated at first, but settled in and found a way to break through. Eudora was playing a lot of close games and are making it very difficult to score on them. It was a really, really good result for us.”
Eudora only took two shots on goal as the Wildcat defense didn’t get much of a test, but goalie Ambrose Stefan earned his fifth shutout of the season as the back line of Eli Minster, Kris Light, Scott Murphy and Will Frank did their job as well.
Senior defender Kris Light passes the ball out of the back Monday against Piper.
Against Piper, the Wildcats found themselves down early as the Pirates scored 12 minutes into the contest. Louisburg kept Piper off the scoreboard for the rest of the first half, and much of the second, to give itself a chance to tie the match.
The Wildcats had a few opportunities on goal as junior Brock Bila, senior Grant Ryals and sophomore Landon Johnson had looks at the net, but couldn’t convert. Piper sealed the win with six minutes left in the match with its second goal.
“Piper was a very aggressive team and played very quick,” Conley said. “I think we struggled because we do not have many teams that play like that in our league. They had three really well coached kids in the middle and they really had their way with us in the first half. I felt the second half we did very well in handing their speed of play and actually played with a majority of the possession.
“I think we made some good adjustments at halftime and the boys really, really stepped up their intensity in the second half. I was proud of our guys and they didn’t quit. They fought to the last whistle and kept playing hard.”
Louisburg will try for the outright league title tonight against Ottawa. The junior varsity will begin at 4:30 p.m., with the varsity to follow.
It is also Senior Night for the Wildcats as they will honor their 10 seniors in-between the two contests.
“Senior Night will be a great opportunity to celebrate our 10 seniors,” Conley said. “These young men have been part of a great season thus far. The success we have is a direct reflection to their hard work and dedication. It will be an intense and emotional night. Winning an outright league title will be something that these young men will be able to reflect on the rest of their lives.”
Louisburg sophomore Landon Johnson puts a shot on goal against Baldwin on Monday at Wildcat Soccer Stadium. Louisburg shutout Baldwin, 3-0, to improve its record to 9-4 on season.
With a possible Frontier League title hanging in the balance, the Louisburg boys soccer team needed a win against Baldwin on Monday to stay atop the standings.
The Wildcats made sure they didn’t lose that spot atop the perch. Louisburg came through at home as the Wildcats shutout Baldwin, 3-0, to earn the season sweep over the Bulldogs and improve its record to 9-4 on the season and 8-2 in Frontier League play.
Louisburg is currently tied with De Soto with two league losses, and if the season ended in a tie, then both schools would be considered co-champions.
“It is our league title to lose,” Louisburg coach Kyle Conley said. “If we keep playing hard and doing our job, then we will be in the driver’s seat. At the same time, if we don’t execute then any night it could slip up and go away. We just have to keep doing our job and good things will happen.
“The kids came out focused and played with a little bit of a chip on their shoulder, I think. That is a really good team that we just beat and we made it look way easier than what it was. They are going to be a really dangerous team come playoffs.”
A lot of good things happened for Louisburg against Baldwin as the Wildcats controlled the possession and had 14 shots on goal. Three of those shots went in and the Wildcats got out to an early lead in the first half.
Junior forward Brock Bila scored his first of two goals 14 minutes into the contest on an assist from sophomore Landon Johnson. Johnson played the Bila on a give-and-go opportunity in the middle of the field and Bila shot it past the Baldwin goalie.
(From left): Kris Light, Jarod Rose, Brock Bila, Grant Ryals and David Holiday celebrate a goal in the first half Monday against Baldwin.
Louisburg took that 1-0 lead into halftime, but the Wildcats didn’t wait long to give themselves some cushion.
Senior Christian Scholtz crossed the ball into the box, where he found the foot of senior teammate Raistlin Brewer, who put the shot away just 20 seconds into the second half. Bila scored the game’s final goal several minutes later on an assist from senior midfielder Grant Ryals.
“We knew we had to come out and set the tone and apply a ton of pressure,” Conley said. “The first game we played they just shredded us up. The kids bought into the adjustment we made and they just executed phenomenally this time around.
“That first goal we had was just beautiful and it was good to see the kids execute, knowing their job, playing with confidence and just playing hard. That is what I need the kids to do. They just trust the process and good things happen.”
The Wildcat defense also didn’t allow many good looks at the goal as senior goalie Ambrose Stefan earned the shutout with three saves, while the back line provided a lot of support. Scott Murphy, Kris Light, Will Frank and Eli Minster, who is in for an injured Kyle Allen, all turned away opportunities and frustrated the Baldwin attack.
“We are starting to figure out that if we are aggressive then we can be pretty stinkin’ good in the back, when we are not hesitant or soft,” Conley said. “They are playing hard back there and Eli has been stepping up quite a bit at the outside back and Scotty has been solid there as well. Kris and Will have been solid all year and they are like the four horsemen back there. We are not really subbing and they are doing a good job.”
Although it was a big win for the Wildcats as far as the league standings were concerned, it was also a memorable in another way. Following the victory, the team made a postgame announcement honoring Conley for his 50th victory as the Louisburg boys and girls head soccer coach. He has an all-time record of 50-21-3 in his four seasons with the programs.
Louisburg players unveiled a banner honoring head coach Kyle Conley for his 50th victory following Monday’s win over Baldwin.
He may have not liked all the attention, but Conley has enjoyed the opportunity to coach both programs and all they have accomplished.
“Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate it very much, but I absolutely hate it,” Conley said of the honor. “It is all about the kids. Without those kids playing hard and doing their job, you don’t win any games. I didn’t score any goals and it is all about these kids and they deserve as much, if not, more than I do. I couldn’t be prouder of a group of kids in my four seasons to allow this to happen. I have been very fortunate.”
Louisburg returns to action tonight when it travels to Eudora. Junior varsity will begin at 4:30 p.m. and varsity will follow.
Louisburg defender Will Frank heads the ball away last Tuesday during the Wildcats’ match with Spring Hill in Louisburg. The Wildcats earned their second win over Spring Hill on the season with a 5-1 victory.
Last week was a mixed bag for the Louisburg High School boys soccer team, but it couldn’t have gotten off to a better start.
For the first time in several years, the Wildcats earned a sweep of Spring Hill and did so in dominating fashion as it rolled to a 5-1 victory Tuesday at Wildcat Soccer Stadium.
Unfortunately, Louisburg found itself on the other side Thursday as it fell to De Soto for the second time this season, 2-0, at De Soto High School.
Still, the win against Spring Hill is something the Wildcats (8-4 overall, 7-2 league) can build on as there is just a couple weeks left in the regular season.
“We came out ready to go,” Louisburg boys coach Kyle Conley said of the Spring Hill win. “The boys team has not swept Spring Hill in a season in an extremely long time and that was one of our goals. The boys played determined and focused. I couldn’t be prouder of our effort. It was a great all-around team win.”
The Wildcats’ match with Spring Hill was unique as both teams were forced to play down a man. Early in the first half, the Bronco goalie grabbed Louisburg forward Chris Williams in the box and was awarded a red card.
Then about five minutes later, Wildcat forward Brock Bila was given two yellow cards, which turned into a red and he was also forced to sit the rest of the game. So instead of each teams having 11 players, it turned into a 10-on-10 matchup.
“The game was pretty wild,” Conley said. “I have never been a part of a game that had both sides playing 10v10 before. It was an interesting element. Losing our leading goal scorer and their goalkeeper isn’t ideal by any means. I think our replacements stepped up a little more than theirs. The goalkeeper for Spring Hill is a fantastic player and losing him hurt them greatly.”
Louisburg sophomore Ryan Haight (4) celebrates with his teammates after scoring the match’s first goal last Tuesday against Spring Hill. Haight ended the night with a hat trick.
Louisburg also got some offensive production from an unexpected source. Sophomore Ryan Haight, who normally plays as a defensive midfielder, scored his first goal of the season to give Louisburg an early lead.
It wouldn’t stop there as Haight would eventually finish with three goals and record his first hat trick. Senior Grant Ryals also performed well with a pair of goals to wrap up the Louisburg scoring, while sophomore Landon Johnson had two assists for the Wildcats.
“Ryan did a great job for us,” Conley said. “To start the game he was a holding midfielder and for the first time in a while he didn’t have an individual defensive assignment. This allowed him to be a little more free. He pushed through and got us started with a very nice goal early.
“When we got our double yellow card, we needed another player up top. So with his confidence high, we took a chance letting him run up top and he made the most of it.”
After Haight’s first goal, the Wildcats kept on the attack. Williams sprinted toward the box on a through ball and had a good path to the goal, but the Spring Hill goalie grabbed Williams in the box, which resulted in a red card.
Louisburg was awarded the penalty kick and Ryals put the attempt away to give the Wildcats a 2-0 lead early in the first half.
Williams provided a lot of pressure up top in Bila’s absence and caused problems for the Spring Hill defense.
“I felt Chris did a fantastic job,” Conley said. “His speed caused havoc on them defensively. His work ethic is second to none and that was very apparent.”
With both teams down a man for most of the game, they had to play in different formations and Spring Hill caught the Wildcats off guard for a goal late in the first half.
The Wildcats took a 2-1 lead at halftime and they continued the attack. Haight scored his second goal seven minutes into the second half and completed the hat trick with another goal a few minutes later.
Ryals sealed the win with his second goal late in the second half.
Against De Soto, the Wildcats had their chances in the two goal loss on the road, but unlike in their match with Spring Hill, they couldn’t convert.
“We played well enough to win, but unfortunately we were unable to execute,” Conley said. “We had four or five really, really good opportunities but we were unable to capitalize. I felt they did a nice job of making the most of their limited opportunities.
“It was a tough game all-around and had multiple questionable whistles. Our inability to execute though was the problem in the game for us. We will learn from this game and it will make us better.”
Louisburg will try and get back on the winning track tonight when it hosts Baldwin. The varsity match is set to begin at 6 p.m.
Louisburg junior Brock Bila (middle) was all smiles as he received congratulations from teammates Jarod Rose (left) and Raistlin Brewer after scoring his third goal Thursday in Paola. The Wildcats won the game 4-1.
PAOLA – Rivalry contests are supposed to be this way.
They are supposed to be high-intensity, times where things get a little chippy between the two sides and when neither team wants to back down. That was the case Thursday when the Louisburg boys soccer team made the short trek to Paola.
Louisburg and Paola were tied at halftime in what was an important contest for the Wildcats. They were currently on a two-game losing streak and were approaching unchartered territory.
“I told them we have never lost three in a row since I started coaching, so I didn’t want it to start now,” Louisburg coach Kyle Conley said.
The Wildcats listened well as they came out with three second half goals, en route to a 4-1 victory over the Panthers and thus got themselves back on the winning track.
Junior forward Brock Bila gave the lift the Wildcats were looking for as he finished with a hat trick. Bila scored a goal in the first half and two more in the second half to help Louisburg pull away.
“Brock is a kid that has been up and down,” Conley said. “He will play good one week and then he is beating himself up another week when things aren’t going as well. It is good to see him have some clean runs and have some really good finishes. He was really active and that helped a lot. He busts his butt and does his job. He had a good practice before this and was hitting the ball really well, so I was hoping it was coming and it definitely did.”
Defender Kyle Allen sends the ball away in the first half of Thursday’s match against Paola.
Although Louisburg (7-3) won by three goals, it wasn’t easy as the Wildcats competed in a high-spirited game from the start and did so with a short bench. Starter Christian Scholtz and reserve David Holiday had to sit out with an injury.
It was a bench that got even shorter as they game wore on as starting defender Kyle Allen had to leave on a cart with an injury in the second half.
Not only were the Wildcats short-handed, but so were the officials. The game had to be officiated with just two referees, instead of the usual three, which left both teams perplexed on calls throughout the match.
“Our bench was short to start the game, and then when Kyle went down, it got really short,” Conley said. “When he got hurt, I think our guys responded and stepped up a little bit. We are always talking about the next man up. We are short on guys. We are missing a starter and one of our first guys off the bench and we are trying to fill some voids. They just played hard and they did their job.
“The kids did minimal complaining on really difficult officiating. Whenever you have two officials in the varsity match, the outcome is never going to be productive when they can’t move as much.”
Bila got Louisburg off to a good start as he gave the Wildcats a 1-0 lead on goal about 15 minutes into the match. It appeared the Wildcats were going to add on to that lead as they had several chances on goal.
Senior Grant Ryals (11) takes the ball away from a Paola player with the help of teammate Landon Johnson on Thursday at Paola High School.
Senior Raistlin Brewer had two shots that were close to finding the back of the net, but one was saved by the Paola goalie and another shot went just wide of the post.
Instead of going into halftime with a lead, Louisburg gave up a late goal to Paola’s Ryan Wokutch with 29 seconds left in the first half.
However, the Wildcats turned up the pressure in the second half as Bila notched his second goal in the opening minutes, then senior Jarod Rose found the back of the net to give Louisburg a 3-1 lead.
Bila sealed the win with six minutes left in the match for this third goal and the Wildcats didn’t look back.
In between all the second half scoring, the Panthers gave Louisburg a scare or two themselves as they put on several shots on goal. Senior defender Kris Light kicked the ball away near the goal line, while goalie Ambrose Stefan made a jump save to knock a shot away on what looked to be a sure Paola goal. It was one of several saves on the night for Stefan.
Louisburg goalie Ambose Stefan scoops up a shot as a Paola player makes a run at the goal.
“Ambrose made a fantastic save on that ball,” Conley said. “It was a really good hit, he read it well and got to it and made an unbelieveable save. The backs did alright. We are struggling with our pressure cover. We got a little anxious and just watched the ball and shifted instead of being where we needed to be. At the same time, Kris had a big save off the line as well. They worked so hard though and hopefully we will continue to get better.”
Louisburg returns to the pitch Tuesday when it hosts Spring Hill in an effort to make it two wins in a row. Varsity is set to begin at approximately 6 p.m.
WILDCATS FALL TO TONGANOXIE, BONNER SPRINGS
The Louisburg boys soccer team had its fair share of chances against both Tonganoxie and Bonner Springs, but in each case, the Wildcats came up short.
The Wildcats lost to undefeated Tonganoxie 2-1 last Tuesday, and on Sept. 21, Louisburg came up short against Bonner Springs, 3-2.
“It was really frustrating at Bonner, where we had countless breakaways and couldn’t finish,” Conley said. “We hit the post against Tonganoxie with like a minute to go and had countless breakaways, so that was tough as well.”
Against Tonganoxie, the Wildcats found themselves down 2-0, with one of those goals coming on a penalty kick.
Still, the Wildcats had their chances in the second half with several shots on goal and junior Brock Bila found the back of the net with one of them on an assist from senior Grant Ryals. Louisburg pressured Tonganoxie up until the final seconds, but couldn’t put the game-tying shot away.
Bila opened the scoring against Bonner Springs to give Louisburg a 1-0 lead, after Bonner Springs tied it, senior Raistlin Brewer gave the Wildcats the lead back with a goal of his own.
However, Bonner Springs went in front to close the first half as they converted back-to-back penalty kicks. It turned out to be the difference as neither team could find the back of the net in the second half.
“We had the ball inside their six yard box five times in the first 5 minutes,” Conley said. “We were not focused and struggled to execute. We had two bad plays for penalty kicks. They also scored their first goal on a corner kick, because we did not stay marked up on a player.
“The game came down to discipline and execution. We gave that game away and was a pretty frustrating result. We did create a massive amount of chances, but we just could not bury one.”
The Kansas High School Activities Association released the classifications for the 2017-18 season on Tuesday morning, and for Louisburg High School, much remains the same.
The Wildcats are currently a Class 4A-Division I program with 532 students, but after this season the classification system will change. Class 4A will get rid of the divisions and 4A will have just 36 schools. Louisburg is still expected to be in 4A for the foreseeable future.
However, several schools across the state made classification changes.
Arkansas City and Sumner Academy dropped from Class 5A to 4A for the upcoming season, while Galena, Hugoton and Marysville all moved up to 4A. Maize South jumped from 4A to 5A.
Colby , Goodland, Scott City and Haven all dropped from 4A to 3A schools, while McLouth moved up from 2A to 3A.
Hays is currently the largest 4A school with 791 students, followed by Sumner Academy (782), Andover Central (764), Bonner Springs (762) and Arkansas City (757).
Sub-state and regional assignments for the fall season will be released in the coming days.
Louisburg senior David Holiday sends a pass across the field Thursday during the Wildcats’ match with Eudora. Holiday scored a goal and had an assist in Louisburg’s 8-0 win over the Cardinals.
Once the opening whistle sounded, the Louisburg High School boys soccer team was off and running.
Sophomore Landon Johnson received a quick pass and he sent the ball over to senior teammate Christian Scholtz, who scored Louisburg’s first goal 20 seconds into the match Thursday against Eudora.
It was a sign of what was to come for Scholtz and the rest his Wildcat teammates.
Louisburg pelted Eudora with seven more goals and rolled to an 8-0 victory at Wildcat Soccer Stadium. The Wildcats didn’t score again until the eight minute mark in the first half, but once that happened, the flood gates opened.
“I think we played well and we came out quick,” Louisburg coach Kyle Conley said. “Getting a goal in the first 20 seconds really set the tone. We had lots of chances to start, but we just couldn’t bury one early. We just pushed through, and once the outside midfielders started figuring out where they needed to be, we started exposing them on the outside. They tried to take away the middle with their formation, but they left the outside open and we were able to run for days. We had a good showing and the boys were able to find feet and that helps tremendously.”
Scholtz was a big part of the Wildcats’ positive result as he had his best performance of the young season. The Louisburg midfielder finished with four goals as he gave the Cardinals fits on the outside.
“Quite honestly, he could have had quite a few more if I could have gotten him to sprint in that first half,” Conley said. “In the second half, he started getting after it a lot more and he just had free run after free run. We told him he was going to have a big day if he could make that run and the second half he was just on fire.”
The Wildcats (6-1) had plenty of chances on goal throughout the game as they tallied 34 shots on the night and had seven corner kick opportunities.
Those shots started finding the back of the net late in the first half as sophomore Eli Minster scored to make it 2-0 with eight minutes left before halftime.
It David Holiday’s turn as he was able to make an impact off the bench. Holiday, who was injured early on in the year, scored his first goal of the season to make it 3-0.
Holiday then returned the favor a minute later when he sent a pass that set up Scholtz’s second goal of the evening to earn the assist and help give Louisburg a 4-0 lead at halftime.
“He has been hurt for quite some time,” Conley said of Holiday. “We babied him a little bit coming back for the first couple games and then we threw him to the wolves against Baldwin. This time he was just part of the rotation doing his thing. This is as fit as he has been and he is a smart kid that reads it and he had a good night.”
Scholtz continued his big night early in the second half when he scored back-to-back goals to earn the hat trick. Johnson followed with a goal of his own to make it 7-0 with 35 minutes left in the match.
Louisburg midfielder Jarod Rose heads the ball away from the Eudora goal Thursday at Wildcat Soccer Stadium.
Senior Grant Ryals put the game on ice as he converted a penalty kick after being taken down in the box. Fellow senior Brock Bila did a good job of finding his teammates with three second half assists, while Johnson had two assists on the night and Ryals had one.
The defense protected the Wildcats’ big lead as they earned the shutout, and goalies Ambrose Stefan and Dalton Ribrody combined on the clean sheet.
“We were incredibly unselfish and I think that is something that we can build on,” Conley said. “It is the way we have to play, and with the system we have and if we play that way, we are going to be tough to stop.
“Ambrose made a couple big saves and the defense played well. I thought Ryan (Haight) did a great job marking their best player and he didn’t have many touches at all in the first half. It was a team win for sure and the kids played their butts off.”
The Wildcats will try and make it three wins in a row tonight when it travels to Bonner Springs. The varsity match is slated to begin at approximately 6 p.m.
Louisburg senior Grant Ryals puts a shot on goal Thursday during the Wildcats’ match with Baldwin at Baldwin High School. The Wildcats used a late goal to pull away for a 2-1 victory over the Bulldogs.
BALDWIN CITY – For the first time this season, Louisburg boys soccer coach Kyle Conley got a chance to see how his team would respond to a loss.
Although Conley wasn’t pleased with the style of play at times during Thursday’s match against Baldwin, he – and the rest of the Wildcats – will certainly take the result.
Louisburg got a late goal from Brock Bila that broke open a tie game and the Wildcats got a 2-1 win at Baldwin High School. The victory also pushed the Wildcats’ record to 5-1 on the season as they continued their strong start after a disappointing loss to De Soto last Tuesday.
“I think we struggled a little bit with the time change and playing first,” Conley said. “We struggled to handle their possession in the first half. To be honest, Baldwin dominated the first half in possession. We talked about their possession and how they will possess a ton, but we needed to limit their dangerous scoring opportunities. I was not overly pleased with how much we allowed them to possess because it really challenged out fitness.
“It was great to see how gritty and tough our kids were. The second half, the game really opened up and allowed us to possess the ball a little bit and attack them. It was a great team effort. It was not the prettiest game for us by any means, but sometimes you need to win the ugly ones too.”
The Wildcats got the scoring started early as sophomore midfielder Landon Johnson found the back of the net to give Louisburg a 1-0 lead. From there, Baldwin really put the pressure on the Wildcat back line.
Baldwin gave the Louisburg defense a test early as it put several shots on goal. The Bulldogs outshot Louisburg 13-11 and kept goalie Ambrose Stefan busy. Late in the first half, Stefan kept Louisburg on top with a diving save right in front of the net.
Louisburg goalie Ambrose Stefan makes a diving stop at the net Thursday against Baldwin.
As time was ticking down before halftime, Stefan was awarded a yellow card as he tried to stop a Baldwin player from breaking free toward the goal. Baldwin converted the penalty kick and the two teams were tied at halftime.
Despite that, the Wildcats got good play from its back line of Will Frank, Kris Light, Kyle Allen and Scott Murphy.
“The defense was pretty solid the entire match,” Conley said. “They did a variety of things to us to try to change our focus, but the boys stayed positive and did a very nice job of doing their job and playing as a team. I was very proud of their grit and determination.
“That play at the end of the half with Ambrose was very interesting, because neither official actually called the original foul, but in the end I believe it was the right call. I was really excited how the boys responded and actually picked their game after the call. Our mental toughness was very apparent.”
Baldwin shifted its formation to a 3-5-2 in the second half to put more pressure on Louisburg, but instead, the Wildcats used the Bulldogs’ aggressiveness to their advantage. With a minute left in regulation, senior Raistlin Brewer fed the ball to Bila who shot it past the Baldwin keeper for the game-deciding goal.
“That formation actually helped us counter attack them,” Conley said. “Baldwin was pushing so many people into the attack, that it actually made our counter-attacking style more effective. The game was kind of at a point where it could go either way. I was just extremely proud of how the boys fought and finished the game.”
Louisburg was set to have a busy week as it was scheduled to have three games in four days. Unfortunately, the Wildcats’ game tonight with Piper has been postponed, which will lighten their load a little bit.
Still, the Wildcats will host Eudora at 6 p.m., Tuesday and then travel to Bonner Springs for a match Thursday.
“We will be prepared for each and every game and it will show us, and everyone else, how mentally tough we are,” Conley said. “The expectation is that we will play incredibly hard regardless who we play. This week will show us what we are made of. It is really big week for us.”
It had all started out so promising for the Louisburg boys soccer team last Tuesday against De Soto.
Louisburg had jumped out to a two-goal lead in the first half and appeared to have taken control of the match.
De Soto had other plans, however. De Soto answered with two goals in the second half to force overtime, and in the extra time, scored another to come away with a 3-2 win over Louisburg. The loss was the Wildcats’ first defeat of the season.
“Once again, in the second half, we just didn’t come ready to go,” Louisburg coach Kyle Conley said. “We couldn’t execute, couldn’t find feet and we just didn’t play well. We gave up two really soft goals, but that third goal was just a lazer. Kudos to them. Their backup goalie came in and did his job and made some huge saves against us. We just struggled to put them away.”
Senior Christian Scholtz heads the ball near the goal last Tuesday against De Soto.
The match started off well for Louisburg as it got on the board early. Senior midfielder Grant Ryals sailed a pass that traveled close to 50 yards, landed right in front of forward Brock Bila and Bila put it past the De Soto goalie for an early 1-0 lead.
Senior midfielder Christian Scholtz struck again two minutes later as Scholtz scored his first goal of the season to put Louisburg up 2-0.
In the second half, De Soto score a pair of goals to tie the match, but both teams had a chance to take the lead late in regulation. With 17 minutes left in the second half, Ryals took a shot near the top of the box that hit off the top of the cross bar, hit the De Soto goalie and rolled out.
Junior Eli Minster and Bila both had shots saved on diving stops, but the Wildcats couldn’t get back on top. De Soto had a hard time as well as the Wildcat defense turned the De Soto opportunities away, which eventually forced overtime.
De Soto’s Rohan Singh sent a line drive into the upper right corner of the net three minutes into the overtime to give De Soto the win.
Louisburg junior Eli Minster runs to celebrate with his teammates after he scored the go-ahead goal in the second half Thursday against Spring Hill to help the Wildcats to a 2-1 win at Spring Hill High School.
SPRING HILL – Eli Minster started on the bench and finished Thursday’s match with Spring Hill as one of the defenders.
In between that time, Minster came up with two of the biggest goals for the Louisburg boys soccer team so far this season – and as it turned out – were his first varsity scores.
The Louisburg junior found the back of the net to give the Wildcats a halftime lead, but after Spring Hill tied the match, Minster responded with another goal midway through the second half to give the Wildcats a 2-1 road win in Spring Hill.
The victory also pushed Louisburg’s record to 4-0 on the season and the Wildcats have won three consecutive Frontier League contests.
“It was a huge win,” Minster said. “It is the first time we have been 4-0 in a long time and Spring Hill has always been a tough match for us. It feels really good.”
It was a match that featured several momentum swings and it started with the Wildcats. Minster opened the scoring on a pass from senior midfielder Grant Ryals as he was able to slot it past the Spring Hill keeper.
Louisburg controlled the possession in the first half and several of its 12 shots on goal came before halftime. The Wildcats got the wake-up call it needed before the match even started after the junior varsity team was shut out.
“We stepped up a little bit and played with a little passion and heart,” Louisburg coach Kyle Conley said. “We got after the junior varsity a little bit after they got beat 5-0 and I told the varsity boys that this can happen to them to if they don’t come ready to play. Our league is too good to take a night off.
“We had a chip on our shoulder coming in. As good of a season as we had last year, we could only tie Spring Hill, and they wanted to check things off the list that the team last year didn’t do and make their own destiny. It was a big win for sure.”
Spring Hill wasn’t about to go quietly as the Broncos put the pressure on the Wildcats in the second half. With 26 minutes left in the contest, Spring Hill tied the game on a header off a corner kick.
The Broncos took the momentum back – well – for at least six minutes anyway.
Minster saved the day once again as he got pass from junior Eric Vazquez near the top of the box and he put a shot on goal that went just past the outstretched arms of the Spring Hill goalie and put Louisburg up with 20 minutes left in the match.
“We were able to counter just enough and push forward,” Conley said. “We countered some more and God bless Eli Minster. We were having a tough time breaking down and coming back to the ball and Eli figured it out. He was just beating them to the spot. He had two huge goals for us and the second one might be the goal of his life.
“It was just a fantastic finish. It was a well-played game and I think most of the game was played between the 18’s. They had a few more threats in the second half and we had a few more in the first. Hats off to Spring Hill because they played hard.”
Louisburg defender Scott Murphy tries to clear the ball away from a Spring Hill player Thursday.
As for Minster, he had no idea his goal even went in as he went face first into the turf after taking the shot.
“The second one I didn’t think it was going to go in,” he said. “I just hit the ground, got up and saw it went in. It just feels so good to be able to help the team out and contribute.”
The Louisburg defense faced its toughest challenge so far this season as the Wildcats survived 12 corner kicks from Spring Hill and goalie Ambrose Stefan made a clutch save near the net in the final minutes to secure the win.
Kris Light, Scott Murphy, Kyle Allen and Will Frank – along with Jarod Rose and Minster – helped keep the Broncos at bay on the back line. Defensive midfielders Ryan Haight and Ryals also had their hands full marking the Broncos’ top scorers.
“It was the first time we have truly been tested in the back,” Conley said. “We for sure lived up to the motto ‘Bend don’t break.’ We bent pretty hard, and I thought we might snap a couple times, but the boys did a heck of a job and played their hearts out. It was a team win.”
Louisburg will try to make it five straight Tuesday when it hosts De Soto, which is currently 2-2 on the season.
“It should give us another confidence boost, but we just have to look toward De Soto and keep moving forward,” Minster said.
Louisburg sophomore Ryan Haight heads the ball away from a Paola defender Tuesday in Louisburg. Haight and the Wildcats rolled to a 4-0 victory over the Panthers and are 3-0 to start the season.
Winning doesn’t always come easy, but it has so far for the Louisburg High School boys soccer team and it continued Tuesday against Paola.
The Wildcats picked up their third consecutive win on the season as they scored three first half goals to knock off the Panthers, 4-0, and Louisburg picked up its second Frontier League win in the process. In its three wins to start the season, Louisburg has outscored its opponents 19-1 and now has back to back shutouts.
Louisburg also handed Paola its first loss on the season, in which the Wildcats put the Panthers in a hole early and Paola didn’t have an answer.
“Paola is a team that was playing really well and had a couple of really nice wins under their belt,” Louisburg coach Kyle Conley said. “I think it is very impressive how the boys came out to start the game. We played quick and attacked. Paola was getting on teams early and we stressed how imperative it is for us to come ready to play. We did a very nice job executing and taking advantage of what they gave us.”
Opportunities were aplenty early in the first half and the Wildcats were able to find the back of the net often.
Junior Brock Bila, who finished the game with two goals, scored first as he received a pass from sophomore Landon Johnson into the box and shot it past the Paola goalie for the lead.
Moments later, it was Jarod Rose’s turn. Senior Grant Ryals sent a booming kick from midfield into the box, where Rose beat a Paola defender and the goalie for his first varsity goal and the Wildcats took a 2-0 lead less than 15 minutes into the contest.
“Brock is off to a great start thus far for us,” Conley said. “It was also really good to see Jarod get that goal. He has been getting really close for us the past couple games. It was great to see all of his hard work pay off. Jarod is a testament to what a kid with a great work ethic and hard work can achieve.”
Midway through the first half, senior Raistlin Brewer took a pass from Eli Minster for the Wildcats’ third score and all but sealed the win for Louisburg.
Defender Kris Light heads the ball away from the goal Tuesday against Paola.
Senior goalie Ambrose Stefan picked up his second consecutive shutout as the Wildcat defense allowed Paola only five shots on goal and Stefan had four saves. The back line of Kyle Allen, Kris Light, Scott Murphy and Will Frank didn’t give up many Panther attacks.
“Our defense is improving each and every day,” Conley said. “We are still trying to gel as a unit, but I am very pleased with how we are playing right now. We have not been truly tested to this point. The (upcoming) game against Spring Hill will show us where we are as a team and how our defense ranks up.”
Conley also liked what he saw out of sophomore Ryan Haight and his defensive midfield spot. Haight, along with Ryals, were marked up on Paola’s top scorers and didn’t allow many possessions on the defensive side of the field.
“Ryan was fantastic,” Conley said. “He was responsible for taking away their best player and he did exactly that. Ryan and Grant Ryals are playing really, really well right now. I am pleased with how they are working together and playing off of one another.”
Louisburg will try and keep its undefeated season going tonight when it travels to Spring Hill. The varsity match is set to begin at approximately 6 p.m.