by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC sports information
Kansas City Kansas Community College’s unbeaten women’s soccer team got a win as big as they come Saturday in their bid for KCKCC’s first ever women’s Jayhawk Conference championship.
A 3-2 winner over second place Barton County in Great Bend, the No. 9 ranked Blue Devils (8-0) opened up a 2½- game lead on both their biggest challengers – Barton (5-2-1) and No. 19 Cowley College (4-1-1) – with five contests to go.
At home against Neosho County Wednesday at 5 p.m., the Blue Devils play their next-to-last road game at tough Butler County Monday at 3 p.m. The Blue Devils also have home games with Johnson County May 5 and Hutchinson May 8 before closing on the road at Coffeyville May 15.
Sophomore Corrine Hughes gave KCKCC a 1-0 lead just 19:26 into the game on one of two Melissa Siegel’s assists but Barton got even just before halftime, Annika Gerdau scoring an unassisted goal at the 41:36 mark.
“Barton is a very good team that had us under pressure the first half,” KCKCC coach Shawn Uhlenhake said. “Fortunately, Corrinne Hughes finished our best opportunity in the first half and we came out 1-1.”
Whatever Uhlenhake had to say at halftime must have worked. The Blue Devils took control of the game with two goals in the first 8½ minutes of the second half. Siegel scored the tie-breaking goal on an assist from Paige Liston just two minutes into the second half and then assisted Madi Broeker on what proved to be the winning goal at the 53:23 mark.
“The second half the ladies came out and really put the pressure on Barton and resulted in two good goals early in the second half,” Uhlenhake said. “Everyone worked very hard defensively. It was a battle. Just delighted to be coming home with a win.”
Barton closed the gap to 3-2 on an unassisted goal by Silvia Cinque at 6:17 but Blue Devil goalkeeper Susie Lopez slammed the door on the Cougars the rest of the way, turning away nine of Barton’s 11 shots on goal. Meanwhile, the Blue Devils converted three of their seven shots on goal.