Louisburg players celebrate a 2-1 victory over Spring Hill last Thursday that ended their season with a 13-3 record and a No. 4 seed in the upcoming regional tournament.

The Louisburg girls soccer team
has experienced an immense amount of success in the program’s short history.

However, the one team that has been
a thorn in the side of the Wildcats has been Spring Hill. Louisburg has beaten
Spring Hill just one time in its four years of existence and the Broncos have
caused the Wildcats fits.

On Thursday, the Wildcats got rid
of the thorn.

Louisburg ended its schedule on a
high note as the Wildcats upset Spring Hill, 2-1, and gave their seniors a
send-off to remember. The Wildcats honored their six seniors during a Senior
Night ceremony after the game and it was a fitting way to wrap up the regular
season with a 13-3 record.

“Everyone stepped up and did their
job and played as hard as they could,” Louisburg coach Kyle Conley said. “When
a team believes and plays for each other, this is what could happen. Spring
Hill is the best team on our schedule, and for us to get a win on Senior Night,
just doesn’t happen very often.”

Seniors Camdyn Clark, Kaitlyn
Lewer, Carson Buffington, Julianne Finley, Hallie Hutsell and Leia Shaffer played
in their final regular season home game for the Wildcats, and for most of them,
they were the first group of players to play all four years with the program.

“Our seniors have done a great amount to
put our program where it is today,” Conley said “This group of young ladies are
exactly what our program looks create. They are all responsible, dependable,
dedicated young ladies. They are fantastic young ladies not just on the soccer
field, but in the classroom as well. I could not be prouder of this group.”

It was also special night for Clark, one
of the team’s best defenders, as her season was cut short due to an injury she
suffered earlier in the year and will be unable to play in the postseason. That
didn’t stop her from suiting up for a few minutes and was taken out of the game
one final time early in the first half.

“It was really nice to see Camdyn out there again,” Conley said. “She
had a fantastic career for us and played her heart out each and every time she
got on the field. She is a great young lady and leader.”

The Lady Cats’ defense was certainly tested all night as the
Spring Hill attack kept pressure on the Louisburg back line, but they all
passed the test – including goalie Carson Buffington.

Buffington turned away several Spring Hill opportunities as the
Broncos had nearly 10 shots on goal and Buffington saved all but one
opportunity. The Louisburg senior had a couple tip saves in the first half that
kept the game scoreless at the time.

Late in the second half, when the Wildcats had the lead,
Buffington did much of the same and she also got some help from her defense.
Avery O’Meara moved to the sweeper position due to an injury and cleared the
ball away that was near the line and Kaitlyn Lewer also cleared away several
Bronco attempts.

Seniors Hallie Hutsell and Julianne Finley, along with junior Skylar Bowman and sophomore Madison Quinn, provided a lot of help for the Wildcat defense.

“Our defense played amazing,” Buffington said. “They didn’t back
down and they were so confident and played so well. I was very confident in
that game and I really wanted to win and get revenge on Spring Hill. My
teammates just made my job easier.”

Junior Mackenzie Scholtz broke open a scoreless game for the Wildcats midway through the first half as she took the ball down the left side, beat the Spring Hill goalie and put it in the open net for a 1-0 lead and it stayed that way at halftime.

Spring Hill tied it up early in the
second half, but a few minutes later, the Wildcats struck again and this time
it was thanks to the feet of Erin Lemke. The Louisburg junior had a breakaway opportunity
and took advantage as she sailed it over the goalie’s head for what turned out
to be the game-winning goal.

“It was a hustle goal, just like
Mack’s was to start the game,” Conley said. “We talk a lot about pressing up
top and I think Spring Hill was struggling a little to adjust to the ball
moving around in the mud. I told them to challenge everything in the middle. It
was good to see the kids play so hard and it was a big goal for sure.”

Following the score, the Broncos
increased the pressure even more as they had a few opportunities to tie it up,
but the Wildcat defense and Buffington held on.

“We got up a goal and then we changed formations a little due to injuries and shore some things up in the middle,” Conley said. “We were a little helter skelter there in the second half, but about halfway through we got comfortable in that and you could see that the girls start to figure it out. Then we got a little tired toward the end and we had to just hold on.

“Spring Hill had plenty of good
chances, but Carson made massive save after save. Avery saved one off the line
and everyone was just all hands on deck. Carson did really well and was on her
game. They tried to get her four or five times up top and Carson did a good job
of covering it up and tipping it away. Normally those are goals for most people
and she didn’t allow it. She was phenomenal.”

Following the game, it was a bittersweet feeling
for the Wildcat seniors as they realized the end of their careers is near as
postseason play begins later this week.

“Senior Night was very emotional and
really sad,” Buffington said. “Knowing that this is my last Senior Night really
got to me. I love my team so much and I don’t want the season to end.”

Louisburg earned the No. 4 seed in the
regional tournament and earned a first-round bye. That sets up a match with
Piper in the regional championship game at 5 p.m. on Thursday in Louisburg.

Piper defeated Louisburg, 2-0, earlier in
the season and the Wildcats are hoping for some revenge, although they realize
it won’t be easy. Piper, the No. 5 seed, defeated Tonganoxie, 6-0, on Tuesday.

“The regular season only matters for your
seed and this is when the season actually starts,” Conley said. “Piper is a
team that has already beat us, so we will have our hands full. We will prepare
and play like we have something to prove.”

Louisburg junior Erin Lemke sneaks a shot past the Tonganoxie goalie Monday in Tonganoxie. Lemke scored two goals in the Wildcats’ 6-0 win.

The Louisburg girls soccer team didn’t
let a little wet weather get to them earlier this week – in fact – the rain did
little to cool off a Wildcat team that has been on a hot streak.

Louisburg picked up a pair of road wins Monday and Tuesday and now have seven consecutive victories as the Wildcats have just one game left on the regular season.

The Wildcats scored 14 goals in
two games as they defeated Tonganoxie, 6-0, on Monday and then turnaround to
play Ottawa on Tuesday and came away with an 8-0 victory.

Bad weather forced the Wildcats to
move their game with the Cyclones from Ottawa High School to Ottawa University
and they were able to play on turf. That move certainly didn’t slow the
Wildcats down as they jumped out to a 3-0 halftime lead and scored five more
times in the second half to complete the shutout.

“The girls came out playing very aggressive and dominated the game start to finish,” Louisburg coach Kyle Conley said. “The defense played very well for the most part only allowing one shot. Offensively, we struggled to get a shot on net the first half, missing on four extremely good opportunities.

“The second half, our movement was much
better and we were able to play our game. I was very excited with how hard we
played and how well we possessed. The girls played hard and did a nice job.

Junior forward Mackenzie Scholtz
continued her torrid scoring streak as she added a hat trick to her line to
lead the Lady Cats. Fellow junior Erin Lemke added two goals, including the
match’s first score.

Midfielder Trinity Moore put the Wildcats
up 2-0 with a goal that was assisted by Leia Shaffer. Scholtz then added a goal
shortly before halftime to make it 3-0.

Scholtz found the back of the net to open the second half thanks to an assist from Olivia Barber and then scored again after an assist from Lemke made it 5-0. Lemke made it a six-goal match less than two minutes later.

Sophomore Emma Christy scored her first
varsity goal as she converted a penalty kick late in the second half and then
Louisburg got its final score on an own goal from Ottawa that was knocked in
after a corner kick from Lily McDaniel.

Against Tonganoxie, the Wildcats got out
to a slow start but picked it up in the second half after a goal from Scholtz
and another from freshman Reese Johnson. Scholtz, Lemke, Moore and Morgan
Messer each added scores to put the game away.

Goalie Carson Buffington recorded
shutouts in both matches, while the defense of Kaitlyn Lewer, Julianne Finley,
Avery O’Meara, Hallie Hutsell and Madison Quinn helped limit the opportunities.

“Tonganoxie played a very packed-in style,” Conley said. “We absolutely dominated start to finish, but struggled to put the final pass together. We made some adjustments at halftime and made much better passes and possession.

“I was very happy with our execution in
the second half and our level of play. They girls played much quicker and
executed much more efficiently. We possessed and moved the ball very quickly
and were able to break down their 6 girls on their back line. I was very proud
of their second half performance.”

Louisburg will try and make it eight wins
in a row Thursday when it hosts Spring Hill for Senior Night. The match is set
for 4:30 p.m.

“The girls will come out and be ready to play a really, really
good Spring Hill team to honor their senior teammates,” Conley said. “Our games
with Spring Hill are always action-packed and quality games. They are extremely
well coached and will come ready to play.”

Louisburg senior Carson Buffington finds the back of the net Thursday on this shot to record her first varsity goal. Buffington also earned the shutout as the Wildcats’ goalie in the 10-0 win over Bonner Springs.

Carson Buffington knew this could
be her last shot.

The Louisburg goalie had a chance to play in the field earlier this season against Ottawa in hopes of scoring her first-ever goal. Buffington came up short in her one opportunity and Wildcat head coach Kyle Conley was going to give her one final chance.

“Carson doesn’t have a lot of soccer experience, but she mentioned to me that she wanted to try and score a goal,” Conley said “We tried against Ottawa and couldn’t get it to work. I told her she would get one more chance, but I didn’t know when it would be.”

That chance come on Thursday and
Buffington took full advantage.

With the Wildcats up nine goals on Bonner Springs at halftime in Louisburg, Buffington battled through the Bonner Springs defense as she forced her way into the box and put a shot in the back of the net early in the second half to give Louisburg a 10-0 win.

“She was like a bull in a china
shop,” Conley said. “Carson was just running through kids and bulldozing her
way in there. She is a kid who just started playing her sophomore year and was
scared to death of it at first. We got her some reps last year and has taken
full advantage of being the starting goalkeeper this year.

“Obviously this game got to the
point where we could give her a shot at it. It is a really cool moment for her
and the girls got all excited for her. It is always good to see the kids play
for something that is bigger than themselves and playing for their teammates.
That is the stuff that our program is all about.”

It was an offensive explosion for
Louisburg as it started with Mackenzie Scholtz. The Louisburg junior had a hat
trick 20 minutes into the contest and finished with a game-high five goals as
she ripped through the Bonner Springs defense.

Junior Morgan Messer also had her
best game on the varsity level as she recorded a hat trick and the two players
accounted eight of the team’s 10 goals.

“The kids have been busting their
butt,” Conley said. “We talk all the time if you are the bench that you are
paying attention to what is going on and what to do, so when you get your
opportunity, you take advantage of it. Morgan took full advantage of what they
gave her. It is good to get her going again and it is a pretty good time to do
it.”

Bonner Springs opened the game by
playing a high line and tried to frustrate the Wildcat attack by forcing them
offsides. It worked for the first few minutes of the contest, but the Wildcats
quickly figured it out.

Scholtz scored the first three goals of the match on assists from Erin Lemke and Skylar Bowman. Messer then answered with a goal thanks to an assist from Olivia Barber, and Trinity Moore won a 50-50 ball in the box for a score that led to a 5-0 advantage.

Messer answered with two more goals late in the first half on assists from Emma Christy and Moore, Scholtz added two more to make it a 9-0 halftime advantage.

“Bonner had kind of a jail break on their high line that they played,” Conley said. “They would run everyone up and it took a little while for the girls to read it and understand it. They just needed to give four of five more yards, so when they come running up, then we just run right back at them. We have enough speed on top where we probably left five or six on the board in the first half. The girls played hard and I was pleased with the adjustments they made.”

Buffington’s goal early in the
second half ended the match with the mercy rule and gave the Wildcat keeper
another shutout. Louisburg’s defense didn’t give up many opportunities as
Kaitlyn Lewer, Julianne Finley, Madison Quinn, Avery O’Meara and Hallie Hutsell
all played strong in the back.

The Wildcats (10-3) have one final
week of regular season play remaining and it is a big one as they are scheduled
to play three times this week. Louisburg will begin that gauntlet at 3:30 today
when it travels to Tonganoxie.

“It is a big week and there is a
lot of spots to gain or lose, Conley said. “Looking at the seedings, we are
probably going to be a top four seed regardless of what happens but we could
slide into the two spot or just stay at a three or four and just go from there.
Hopefully we can play well.”

LOUISBURG ROUTS BASEHOR-LINWOOD FOR PROGRAM’S 50^th WIN

The duo of Erin Lemke and
Mackenzie Scholtz proved to be too much for Basehor-Linwood last Monday in
Louisburg.

Lemke had a career night as she
finished with four goals, and Scholtz added a hat trick for herself as the
Louisburg girls soccer team rolled Basehor-Linwood, 7-0, in Louisburg.

It was also an historic showing
from the Wildcats as they recorded the program’s 50^th win in just their
fourth year of existence.

“The girls came out and played
pretty well,” Louisburg coach Kyle Conley said. “We worked on our inside runs a
lot because the week before was just brutal. We just spent a lot of time in
practice on where to be and where to cut and it just really paid off. It was really
a big night and the girls played hard.

“Between Mackenzie, Erin and the two outside midfielders, we just pressed all the time. We caught defenders on their heels and we were able to play balls through. It is funny because when you get two steps on your defender, they just aren’t going to catch you. We worked on that timing and worked on when to get to that run instead of standing with that last defender. It gave us a head start.”

The Wildcats didn’t need much of a
head start with the speed they have up top as Scholtz and Lemke each scored two
goals to put Louisburg up 4-0 at halftime. The Wildcats didn’t slow down much
as Lemke opened the second half with a pair of scores to all but seal the win.

Louisburg defender Madison Quinn tries to dribble past an Ottawa player Tuesday in Louisburg. The Wildcats picked up a pair shutout victories last week, including a 1-0 win Thursday in Eudora.

The Louisburg girls soccer team
had to deal with two different opponents Thursday when the Wildcats traveled to
Eudora.

Not only did the Wildcats have to contend with the Cardinals, but they also had to go against a blustery wind that didn’t give them many chances in one half of Thursday’s match. Despite that, Louisburg found a way to get a big road win.

The Wildcats used a second-half goal from Erin Lemke to leave Eudora with a 1-0 victory and they have now won three consecutive matches.

“It was a game of two halves against
Eudora,” Louisburg coach Kyle Conley said. “The wind was blowing 25 miles-per-hour
in our face and we did a nice job of handling their pressure. We were able to
have 3 or 4 fantastic opportunities but struggled to capitalize in the first
half.

“The second half the wind died down
compared to the first half, but we controlled the game and had tons of chances,
but just couldn’t find the back of the net. I think the girls did a nice job of
limiting their offensive chances, but we struggled at times with our execution.”

Early in the second half, Louisburg (8-3)
was awarded a corner kick and Lemke was in the right place at the right time as
she put the attempt away and found the back of the net.

The Wildcats had plenty of other
opportunities throughout the match, but the Cardinals (4-7) packed their
defense in and didn’t allow many good looks at the goal.

Still, Louisburg was able to leave with
Eudora with a victory as it put together a solid defensive effort, including a
second consecutive shutout from goalie Carson Buffington.

 “I like how hard we played and the
amount of energy we played with,” Conley said. “I think it was a wake-up call
to our girls not to take anything for granted. We didn’t play our best game,
but we were able to survive. Sometimes you need to win ugly games and we did
just that.”

Louisburg has a busy week ahead of
itself as it hosts Basehor-Linwood at 4:30 p.m. today and then will travel to
Tonganoxie tomorrow for a match. The Wildcats will conclude their week with another
home game Thursday when they will host Bonner Springs.

“It is a big week for us,” Conley said. “We have three games with
teams that play really hard, with a lot of energy. I think this week will show
us where we are at and what we are made of. It is going to be a challenging
week, and I think that it will help us for a playoff run.”

Wildcats blank Ottawa

It truly was a team effort Tuesday
when Louisburg hosted Ottawa at Wildcat Sports Complex.

The Wildcats scored six times and never looked back in what was a 6-0 victory over the Cyclones. Although the Wildcats were dealing with some injuries, Louisburg head coach Kyle Conley was able to get all 22 players into the game at one point and a lot of them saw significant minutes.

“We played pretty well and moved the ball very nicely for a majority of the first half,” Conley said. “We worked on some things and put some players in positions we do not usually play, but the girls played hard. I felt we got a little complacent at the start of the second half, but the girls played pretty well for from about the first five minutes of the second half and on.

“We were able to get all 22 kids into the
game and let them continue to get varsity experience. The defense did a great
job limiting them to just one shot, while the offense had 47 shots.”

Juniors Mackenzie Scholtz and Trinity Moore were a problem for the Cyclones all night as the two combined for five of the six Louisburg goals.

Moore scored the game’s first and final goals, while Scholtz had three straight scores as she had a hat trick in the first half. Sophomore Olivia Barber also had a nice goal for the Wildcats late in the first half to give them a 5-0 lead at halftime.

Goalies Carson Buffington and
Sierra Hahn combined for the shutout and Buffington nearly got her first career
goal late in the match. Buffington had three shots on goal, including a penalty
kick opportunity, but was turned away but the Ottawa goalie.

Louisburg junior Erin Lemke (right) battles a Baldwin defender during the Wildcats’ April 15 home match. The Wildcats bounced back with a win over Heritage Christian on April 16.

The Louisburg girls soccer team
was in the midst of a frustrating two-game losing skid in which it saw one
missed opportunity after another.

So when the Wildcats traveled to Heritage
Christian on April 16, they took full advantage of all their chances and they
had plenty of them. Louisburg scored the first three goals and didn’t look back
in a 4-3 victory that provided the Wildcats with the positive momentum they
were looking for.

That didn’t mean it wasn’t without some drama.

Heritage Christian scored two late
goals in the match to cut the Louisburg lead to one after the Wildcats had to
change their lineup due to injuries.

“I thought for 60 or 65 minutes we played really, really well,”
Louisburg coach Kyle Conley said. “We passed and moved the ball pretty
well.  We were aggressive and played very hard. 

“We had several kids hurt/ sick and had to make adjustments. We
had to move kids around in the last 20 minutes or so and put kids in positions
that they usually don’t play to sort of plug holes. They scored two goals
rather quickly and we were just holding on. I think Heritage is a quality side
and it was a good win for us. It was a stressful ending, but a positive result
nonetheless.”

The Wildcats (6-3) got out to big lead early and junior Leia
Shaffer got the scoring started for Louisburg. Shaffer scored her first goal of
the season on an assist from Emma Christy to put the Wildcats up 1-0.

Junior Trinity Moore maneuvered past the Heritage defense later
in the first half and she found the back of the net to give Louisburg a 2-0
advantage and it stayed that way until halftime.

Moore added another goal early in the second half to put
Louisburg up 3-0, but Heritage Christian didn’t back down. The Chargers
followed with their first goal, before Louisburg junior Mackenzie Scholtz found
the back of the net on an assist from Moore to give Louisburg a 4-1 lead.

Heritage answered with two quick scores late in the first half,
but the Wildcats were able to hold on and snap their losing skid.

Louisburg returns to action tonight when it hosts Ottawa in a
varsity-only matchup. The match is set to begin at 5 p.m.

Wildcats fall to Baldwin, Piper

On April 15, the Louisburg girls soccer team had a chance to
hand Baldwin its first loss of the season when it hosted the Bulldogs on their
home field.

In what was an up and down match, it was Baldwin that was able
to take advantage of its chances as it gave Louisburg a 5-2 loss. Baldwin took
a two-goal lead into halftime, and despite a couple quick scores from Louisburg
in the second half, the Bulldogs kept adding onto its lead.

Baldwin scored four minutes into the contest to jump out on top
and later scored again before halftime to take the 2-0 lead.

Louisburg responded with an early second half goal from Trinity
Moore to try and give the Wildcats some momentum. Baldwin didn’t waste any time
as it scored another goal a minute later.

The Wildcats didn’t back down as Lily McDaniel scored her first
varsity goal to make it a 3-2 match, but Baldwin was able counter on several
different occasions and that led to two more Bulldog goals and Louisburg couldn’t
come back.

“We had the possession, we had more chances, but they
just counter attacked every time and just got us,” Louisburg coach Kyle Conley
said. “The girls played hard and played well. We did a good job of doing what
we needed to do. We just missed our chances. We hit the post three times, had a
breakaway and their keeper barely gets to it and just nicked it away. It could
have easily went the other way, but it just didn’t this time. I think they had
like six shots on goal and they got five to go in.”

It was the same type of match
against Piper on April 11 as the Wildcats also fell on the road in a 2-0
defeat.

“We had two games like this back-to-back
with Piper too,” Conley said. “We had the better of play, better chances, had
four or five breakaways and just couldn’t get one to go. We go through these,
and it stinks to go through them right now, but it is a learning lesson and we
will get better.”

Louisburg junior Morgan Messer pulls back on the ball to beat a Eudora defender Tuesday during the Wildcats’ 7-0 victory over the Cardinals.

Coming off its first loss of the
season, the Louisburg girls soccer team made sure it didn’t turn into two
Tuesday when the Wildcats hosted Eudora.

Louisburg had four different
players score and the Wildcats took care of business in a 7-0 win over the
Cardinals. Despite being up just one goal at halftime, Louisburg dominated the
second half as it scored six times and recorded its fifth shutout in six games.

“I though the girls played well,”
Louisburg coach Kyle Conley said. “The first half was a little rough because we
weren’t executing or getting things done. The second half they started
executing and doing what we asked them to do. They played the ball, had some
give-and-go’s and played off each other.

“They were struggling a little early
because we had nine kids gone the last few days and it was a little tough to
get things done at practice. The second half, they executed and figured out
what I was asking them to do and they looked pretty good.”

Junior Mackenzie Scholtz got
things started for the Wildcats with a goal midway through the first half and
the Wildcats took a 1-0 lead into halftime. In the second half, the flood gates
opened for Louisburg as it dominated possession.

Scholtz, who finished the match
with a hat trick, scored shortly after halftime and then assisted on the Wildcats’
next goal when junior Erin Lemke found the back of the net.

The combination of Scholtz and
Lemke struck again. Midway through the second half, Scholtz took a shot on
goal, which was knocked out by the Eudora goalie, but Lemke was there for the
rebound near the net and put it away for a 4-0 advantage.

A few minutes later, Scholtz
completed her hat trick thanks to an assist from junior Morgan Messer. Junior
Trinity Moore followed with a goal of her own late in the second half.

With under a minute left, the
Wildcats sealed the win as senior Hallie Hutsell scored her first goal of the
season and the celebration was on.

“For Hallie, we just played the
ball down the middle and she was able to just beat the girl and it worked out
pretty well,” Conley said. “Hallie hasn’t had one for a while, so that was a
good to see her get one there.”

Eudora didn’t have many chances of
its own as the Louisburg defense turned away whatever runs the Cardinals tried
to make. It was also the fifth shutout for Wildcat goalie Carson Buffington on
the season.

The large second half lead allowed
Conley to move players around to different positions and give his bench players
more varsity time – something he has been able to do in several matches this
year.

It is something that he hopes pays
off in the long run on both levels of the team.

“I think we were able to get 20 kids into the game and that is great,” Conley said. “We are able to get kids in and getting them used to being out there and what to expect. I think it also helps them on the junior varsity level because the game is faster up here. I hope it pays dividends because you never know what injuries we might have later in the year. We are just trying to put kids into different spots and see what they can do.”

Louisburg (5-1) will face a tough
road test today when the Wildcats travel to Piper for a 6 p.m. match. The
Pirates are 7-1 on the season and Conley knows his team is going to have to be
ready to play.

“They have a new coach so it is
going to be vastly different from last year,” Conley said. “They are very
talented up top and on the outside and we are going to have to deal with that.
I think it is going be a really good game. They have a really talented
centerback and a solid goalkeeper, so it will be another dogfight. It should be
another great game and hopefully we will be ready to go.”

Louisburg goalie Carson Buffington comes out for save Wednesday during the Wildcats’ road contest at Spring Hill. The Wildcats fell to Spring Hill 4-2, which is their first loss of the season.

SPRING HILL – The Louisburg girls soccer
team had been unstoppable going into Wednesday’s road match with Spring Hill.

Louisburg won its first four
matches to start the season and did so by outscoring its opponents by 19 goals.
The Wildcats were on cruise control, but came up against a talented Spring Hill
squad that tested them in every facet of the game.

Although the Wildcats took an
early lead, and were in a tie match late in the contest, the Broncos used two
late goals to give Louisburg its first defeat of the season in a 4-2 loss at
Spring Hill High School.

“I thought our girls played their tails
off,” Louisburg coach Kyle Conley said. “We played with a massive amount of
energy and played really hard. Spring Hill is a quality team. In fact, they one
of the best teams we will face all year. Not only were they very skilled, but
they had speed a lot of positions. The game gave us a lot to work on and things
for us to improve on. I am proud of how we competed.”

The Wildcats (4-1) got on the board first
when junior Mackenzie Scholtz received a through ball from teammate Trinity
Moore. Scholtz then beat the Bronco defense and placed the shot in the back of
the net to give Louisburg a 1-0 lead midway through the first half.

Spring Hill tied it up with three minutes
remaining before halftime and then carried that momentum into the second half
when it scored two minutes in off a corner kick to take a 2-1 advantage.

With 25 minutes left in the match, the
Wildcats evened the score when junior Erin Lemke beat the Spring Hill goalie to
the ball near the top of the box and then put away an empty-netter.

The Broncos, however, put the game away
in the final minutes. Spring Hill took the lead on a goal with six minutes
remaining and then added another four minutes later to all but seal the win.

Spring Hill controlled the possession at times, but the Wildcat defense was able to turn away several Bronco scoring attempts and goalie Carson Buffington had some big saves. It was a match that was closer than the score indicated and Conley was pleased with the effort his team showed.

“This team has a massive amount of team chemistry,” he said. “They are extremely competitive and play for each other. The girls play hard from start to finish. I was so excited with our fight and not backing down. We talked about the quote, ‘Bend, don’t break.’ Regardless if something negative or positive happens, we need to stay level headed and keep competing. The girls did just that. We made a few mistakes that Spring Hill capitalized on. We will work to clean those up and get better at practice.”

Their four-game winning streak may have
gone away, but the Wildcats accomplished a lot during that stretch and it
started with their defense.

Louisburg shut out each of its four
opponents thanks to the back five of Kaitlyn Lewer, Camdyn Clark, Madison
Quinn, Avery O’Meara and Hallie Hutsell, along with the efforts of Buffington.

“The defense was absolutely lights out so
far to start our season,” Conley said. “Even against Spring Hill, I think we
defended well and gave them shots from distance. We did a nice job of executing
our game plan. The first four games we were extremely impressive. The defense
and goalkeepers had 356 minutes and 4 seconds of shutout soccer. That’s
incredible. I am extremely happy with our defensive core and their improvement
each and every day.”

Offensively, the Wildcats also got good
production from Scholtz and she was on a goal-scoring tear during that stretch.
Scholtz scored 13 goals in her first four matches and currently has 14 for the
season.

“Mac has been on fire for us the first
five games,” Conley said. “It will be hard to imagine anyone in the state having
that many goals so far this season. She is absolutely on fire. To make that
stat even more impressive, she has been limited in minutes because the games
were so lopsided. She is off to a terrific start and is going to have a great
year.”

The Wildcats will try and get back on the
winning track Tuesday when it hosts Eudora. The match is set to begin at 6 p.m.
at the Wildcat Sports Complex.

LOUISBURG SHUTS OUT KANSAS CITY CHRISTIAN

The day before Louisburg was supposed to
play its toughest match on the road against Spring Hill, the Wildcats hit the
road Tuesday to square off with Kansas City Christian.

As it turned out, it was a nice tune-up for
the Wildcats as they shut out KCC, 6-0, at Johnson County Community College.

The Wildcat offensive attack was on full
display from the get-go as they scored in the first minute on a goal from
junior Mackenzie Scholtz and never looked back. In fact, the Wildcats got four
goals from Scholtz as she recorded her fourth consecutive hat trick.

Louisburg also had a pair of goals from
junior Erin Lemke and assists from junior Trinity Moore, sophomore Olivia Barber
and freshman Reese Johnson. It was as an all-around strong performance from the
Wildcat offense.

“We came out slow in the previous week
against Bonner Springs, so we focused a lot on being ready to play,” Louisburg
coach Kyle Conley said. “The moment the girls got off the bus the girls were
ready. We come out and had some great combination play and scored in the first
30 seconds of the game. Our girls played extremely hard and aggressive.

“I was really pleased with how well we
worked and battled. We played very well and did a fantastic job limiting dangerous
opportunities. We got the opportunity to get a lot of people in the game and get
some reps. It was nice because those kids work so hard in practice to get their
chance to get some varsity time.”

The defense was also a strong point for
the Wildcats as senior goalie Carson Buffington earned her fourth consecutive
shutout and the back line of Kaitlyn Lewer, Camdyn Clark and Madison Quinn
helped limit the chances.

Louisburg junior Mackenzie Scholtz scored three goals Wednesday in the Wildcats’ 5-0 win over Tonganoxie in Louisburg.

It may just be a little more than
a week into its season, but the Louisburg girls soccer team couldn’t have asked
for a better start.

The Wildcats picked up two wins
this week, including a 5-0 shutout of Tonganoxie on Wednesday in Louisburg, and
have played dominant soccer in its first three games. Louisburg has outscored
its opponents, 13-0, to begin the year and the defending state runner-ups have
yet to be tested.

Louisburg (3-0) dominated
possession against Tonganoxie in what was its second game in as many days. The Wildcats
had several chances on goal, and when the Chieftains tried to push up the
field, the Louisburg defense was there to turn it away.

It was a balanced effort from the Wildcats as it was a match that saw several players get into the game and get some varsity experience.

“The girls played hard,” Louisburg
coach Kyle Conley said. “To be quite honest, I think for the first 40 minutes
we were just going through the motions. We just talked to the girls about
playing our game, and Tonganoxie played a little different by putting five
girls in the back and three kids in the middle to take away how we play.

“We were solid, but we just needed to move the ball a little better and I think we did fine. It was a good night to get everyone in and get good reps for everyone. When we played our game, it was much cleaner so that was good to see.”

Junior Mackenzie Scholtz continued
her scoring tear against the Chieftains as she scored the game’s first three
goals and gave the Wildcats a 3-0 halftime lead. It was the third consecutive
hat trick of the season for Scholtz and she currently has nine goals on the
year.

Trinity Moore got into the scoring
action in the second half. Moore, who was also celebrating a birthday
Wednesday, gave herself a couple nice presents.

The Louisburg junior took a shot
toward the goal that bounced over the goalie’s head and rolled just across the
line to put Wildcats up 4-0. About 30 seconds later, Moore struck again with
another goal and all but sealed the win for Louisburg.

Several Wildcats had good looks at
the goal, including junior Erin Lemke, who had a nice through ball to Schultz
in the first half that led one of her three goals.

The Wildcats also had to make some
adjustments throughout the game as the Chieftains played several players back
to try and limit the Louisburg runs. It might have slowed them down a little,
but the Wildcats figured it out.

“The best part is the progression that we made,” Conley said. “We constantly kept moving and we were problem solving and changing formations a little bit in the midfield. We made some different runs because of what Tonganoxie took away and it was good to see the girls learning and adapting to how it is being played. We had a bunch of good looks at the end and we got to play a bunch of kids. The girls just played hard and had great attitudes.”

Defensively, the Wildcats also
played well in their limited opportunities as Carson Buffington had her third
shutout of the season, while seniors Kaitlyn Lewer, Camdyn Clark and sophomore
Madison Quinn didn’t let much through in the back.

Louisburg will have back-to-back games again next week when it travels to Kansas City Christian on Tuesday and then will go to Frontier League power Spring Hill on Wednesday.

“The girls are doing a good job,”
Conley said. “Getting three wins early is a good thing, but we just have to
keep progressing. Next week is going to be tough. Kansas City Christian is
really good and Spring Hill is really, really good. We are going to have our
work cut out for us and we are going to have to do that playing back-to-back
games.

“We just have to be ready to go.
KCC plays a tough schedule and Spring Hill has a bunch of studs on their team.
We will see what we are made of. The girls have done a good job so far and we
have executed the way we are supposed to. I think we can be a pretty tough team
to play.”

LOUISBURG SHUTS OUT BONNER SPRINGS

Louisburg hit the road for the
first time Tuesday when the Wildcats traveled to Bonner Springs and the time
away from home didn’t seem to bother them.

The Wildcats got three goals from
junior Mackenzie Scholtz as Louisburg pulled away for a 3-0 victory.

“The girls played their butts off,” Louisburg coach Kyle Conley said.
“Bonner came out with a massive amount of energy and played very hard. We
struggled for the first 15 minutes or so. We might have been a little sluggish
with a week off since our first game. We knew we needed to match their
intensity and I think we did a good job of doing so.”

Scholtz didn’t have much of a problem finding the back of the
net as she added a hat trick and she also got some help with that as sophomore
Olivia Barber assisted on two of those goals.

Defensively, the Wildcats also shined as Bonner Springs had few
chances on goal and Louisburg was able to control the possession.

“We changed our formations at halftime that really limited their attack and allowed us to press them more and force more turnovers,” Conley said. “Yeah the girls played their hearts out and all played very hard. I was extremely happy we handled the changes throughout the game. Our back line played very, very well. I’m very pleased with the way this team is progressing so far.”

Junior Trinity Moore beats a Harmon player to a 50-50 ball Thursday during the Wildcats’ season opener in Louisburg. The Wildcats defeated Harmon, 5-0.

It may be a new season for the
Louisburg girls soccer team, but they looked like the same Wildcats that found
their way to the state title game a year ago.

Even with a few different pieces,
Louisburg was able to jump on Harmon from the start during Thursday’s season
opener and the Wildcats came away with 5-0 shutout on their home pitch.

It was the start of a long journey
for Louisburg, but the Wildcats took a step forward – albeit a small one – in starting
off their season with a win.

“It was good,” Louisburg coach
Kyle Conley said. “We played a lot of kids in a lot of different spots and they
came and played hard. I think we dominated the game and Harmon might have had
one shot, if that. The kids did what we asked them to do, but we still have
plenty to work on this week in practice.”

The Wildcats (1-0) were able to
get off to a good start thanks to the feet of junior Mackenzie Scholtz. The
Louisburg forward recorded a hat trick in her first time out and those three
goals helped ease what nerves there were to begin the match.

Scholtz scored two of those goals in the first 11 minutes of action to help give the Wildcats the momentum they were looking for. With three minutes left in the first half, Scholtz completed the hat trick as she converted a penalty kick to put Louisburg up 3-0 at halftime.

“She did a good job,” Conley said of Scholtz. “She was moving a little bit and we have put her in more of a leadership role to do a little bit more talking and coaching out there. Mackenzie knows, and has been in the program long enough, that she knows the expectations and she can help relate that to the younger players. I think it was a good first game for her.”

Louisburg continued putting
pressure on Harmon in the second half and were awarded another penalty kick
when freshman midfielder Reese Johnson was tripped up in the box. Johnson took
the kick and found the back of the net for her first varsity goal to put the
Wildcats up 4-0.

The Wildcats sealed the win late
in the second half when junior Trinity Moore hit a shot from just outside of
the box and it curled into the net for the final goal.

As well as the offense played at times, the Wildcat defense also played well in its limited chances. The back line of Camdyn Clark, Kaitlyn Lewer and Madison Quinn didn’t let many balls get through and goalie Carson Buffington protected the net for the shutout.

The Louisburg midfield controlled
possession, in what was a physical game between the two teams, and were able to
get several good looks at the goal. The big lead also allowed several players
to see the field and get some experience on the varsity level.

“The best part is that this game
allowed them to figure out what they are supposed to do and where they are
supposed to be,” Conley said. “That helped quite a bit. I think we actually
played better later in the game, but we just scored goals quick and were able
to get out to a lead. We struggled at first to figure out where our runs are
supposed to be, but then we settled down and did what we were supposed to do.

“It was good to get all the kids some minutes and get them some time on the varsity level and get their feet wet. It was a good first game and I think the girls learned some things, but we have a lot of work to do still.”

Louisburg will try to make it two
wins in a row Tuesday when it travels to Bonner Springs for its first road
match of the season. Varsity is set to begin at 6 p.m. The Wildcats will return
home Thursday for a matchup with Tonganoxie.

Louisburg junior Mackenzie Scholtz led the Wildcat girls soccer team in scoring last season with 32 goals and hopes to do the same this year. Scholtz and the Wildcats open their season Tuesday at home against Harmon.

Entering its fourth year of existence, the Louisburg girls soccer team has already set a high bar for itself.

The Wildcats advanced to the state semifinals in back-to-back seasons, and they made it to the championship match last year against Bishop Miege and finished as a state runner-up. Despite all that success, there are a couple things Louisburg has yet to accomplish.

Other than a state championship,
the Wildcats have yet to garner that allusive Frontier League title and that is
their first of many aspirations as they enter the 2019 season.

“We have our team goals, but this year we
want to focus on competing for a league title,” Louisburg coach Kyle Conley
said. “We were close in the past, but unfortunately not close enough. We play
in one of the best 4A soccer leagues in Kansas and it is always a tough test
each and every night. We have our work cut out for us, but this team is capable
of being special as long as they continue to play for each other.”

Louisburg has a good opportunity to do that, even though the Frontier League has added three new schools to its slate. The Wildcats return a bulk of their players from their state team a year ago as they try to make a run at a league crown.

The team may feature a little different look, however, as it will have to replace the program’s all-time leading scorer in Bailey Belcher. Belcher was a big part of the Wildcats’ success as she controlled the middle of the field and drew a lot of attention from opposing defenses.

“Losing Bailey is going to leave some big
shoes to fill,” Conley said. “In our existence as a program, she is the most
decorated player we have ever had. We understand what she meant to this team
and program, but we have some girls ready to step up and play their game. It
will be fun to watch this team grow and mature. I think this team could
potentially be more dangerous offensively that we were last year.”

A big reason for that optimism is forward
Mackenzie Scholtz. The Louisburg junior had a big season up top for the
Wildcats as she led the team with 32 goals on the year and had 15 assists in 21
games. She was also a first team all-league and all-state player and Conley
believes she is poised to have another big season.

“Mac has had a fantastic first two years
in our program,” Conley said. “She has set the bar incredibly high for herself.
I think this year, she will truly show what kind of player she is. She has
worked hard to get stronger in the off-season and it has shown with her play
throughout out our preseason. She will be able to show everyone what type of
player she truly is and I think she is ready for that challenge.”

As dangerous as the Wildcats appear to be
up top, they are pretty balanced across the pitch, including with their back
line.

Seniors Kaitlyn Lewer and Camdyn Clark return to anchor the Louisburg defense as both players earned all-league honors a year ago and Lewer was a second-team all-state player. Junior Skylar Bowman, senior Julianne Finley and sophomore Madison Quinn also figure to see time in the back.

Junior Hannah Straub, who started last
season, will have to miss time due to injury to start the season, but Conley
hopes to have her back later in the year.

In the midfield, junior Erin Lemke will
help lead that spot as she was second team all-state and all-league selection a
season ago. Lemke had 12 goals last season and five assists and is one of the
team’s top returning scorers.

Seniors Leia Shaffer and Hallie Hutsell,
juniors Trinity Moore, Haley Cain, Avery O’Meara, Morgan Messer and sophomore
Olivia Barber also figure to see a lot of time in the midfield as several
players started or saw a lot of varsity action in 2018. Moore, who was an
all-league player on defense last year, will see more action in the middle.

“This group of girls are returning a lot
of senior and junior experience, with some talented underclassmen sprinkled in,”
Conley said. “With all the injuries we faced last year, a lot of players got an
opportunity to get their feet wet. This year, they will get their shot. A lot of these girls have been
starting since they joined our program. It is important we show what type of
team we are and let these girls create their own impact on our program.

“I think our midfield will be pretty solid as well as our
experienced defense. It will be interesting to see when it’s all said and down
which group stands out the best. If these groups push each other like I know
they can at practice this group is going to be a lot of fun to watch.”

The Wildcats will have a new look in goal this year as senior Carson Buffington takes over for a three-year starter in Shay Whiting. Buffington did see some varsity time last season and Conley is excited to see what his new goalie can do on a full-time basis.

“Carson will have some big shoes to fill
this season, but I think she is more than capable,” he said. “She got some
starts last year and showed what we can expect from her. She has grown so much
since playing soccer for the first time as a sophomore. Her work ethic is
second to none. We have high expectations for her this season, because of those
factors.”

Louisburg will begin the 2019 season
Tuesday when it hosts Harmon for a 6 p.m. matchup. That is when the Wildcats
begin their journey to what they hope is another state semifinal berth, but
they also realize it gets more and more difficult every year.

“I think whenever you have such a historic run like that girls
have the past two years you need to appreciate it and reflect on it, but this
is a new season,” Conley said. “No one is going to fear us, and everyone is
going to be prepared for us. For a lot of the schools we play, we will be their
biggest game. The girls need to be prepared for everyone’s best shot day in and
day out.

“We have talked a lot about living in the moment and making the
most of our opportunities. This group of girls have a great opportunity to do
something special, but it’s on them. They need to be mentally ready for a long
season and prepared to deal with any adversity that might be thrown at them.”