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Lady Cyclones exit substate after winning season

Sophomore guard Mercedes Dominguez launched a three-point shot from the corner in the first half of Bishop Ward’s substate tournament match against Wellsville. Wellsville won the game 37-35. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)

by Brian Turrel

A winning season came to a disappointingly early end for the Bishop Ward Lady Cyclones on Monday evening. After finishing the regular season 11-2, they lost their opening substate match to the Wellsville Lady Eagles, 37-35.

The 2020-2021 basketball season came with many challenges, and Ward has been able to field only six players on the girls team. Many families opted not to participate this year due to the pandemic. Head coach Dominique Washington and assistant coach Holland Craise were faced with integrating two freshmen and an inexperienced sophomore into the core of the team. In response, they developed a detailed plan for keeping every player in the game every time.

The season started in mid-December, but went on hiatus until Feb. 2 due to virus restrictions. With such a long layoff, the coaches included an hour of 3-on-3 scrimmage at the end of each practice to keep the players in condition.

Once the season resumed in February, in-game management was key, and the coaches “micro-managed” the players by stepping up their verbal instructions on the court. With three games per week, the players needed to stay as fresh as possible mentally and physically. The Lady Cyclones rolled through the compressed schedule with only two losses.

Monday night’s substate game was held at Kansas City Christian School in Prairie Village, since Bishop Ward’s traditional home field at KCKCC is unavailable due to Covid restrictions. A masked crowd of about 150 fans was on hand to watch the contest.

Ward opened with the advantage, getting an early three-pointer from forward Perla Frayre-Delgado and ending the first quarter with an 8-7 lead. Strong inside rebounding from forward Tina Rosales limited the Lady Eagles’ chances.

Foul trouble caught up with the Lady Cyclones in the second quarter. With the short bench, Washington had little opportunity to rotate out guards Nieves Vazquez and Vanesa Otero as they picked up three fouls each in the first half. Wellsville gained some offensive momentum in the second quarter, and went to the break with an 18-17 lead.

In the third quarter, the game remained in reach, but cold shooting and ball-handling turnovers from the Ward offense short-circuited each comeback attempt. With only 4 points in the quarter for Ward, Wellsville went to the final quarter with a 28-21 advantage.

Ward threw its effort into a fourth quarter comeback, but came up just short. Sharpshooter Mercedes Dominguez hit two 3-pointers from the right corner, and Vazquez took two steals for breakaways. With two minutes remaining, Rosales came down hard on her ankle, sending her to the bench. Wellsville hit just enough timely shots to stay ahead until a turnover closed off Ward’s bid for a final shot to win or tie in the closing seconds.

Dominguez led the team with 14 points, including four 3-pointers. Washington praised her shooting after the game, noting, “It’s kind of crazy to see teams ever give her the green light because she’s become very confident in her shot.” Delgado dropped in 9 points, including 4-of-5 at the free throw line.

The Lady Cyclones earned second in the Crossroads Conference this year behind Barstow. They’ll open next year in the new Kaw Valley Conference, a group of six private and religious schools in Kansas City and Topeka.

The Lady Cyclones will lose key seniors Otero and Frayre-Delgado, and they will have some rebuilding to do. Washington is optimistic that some players who didn’t participate this year will be back next seasons to join returning all-conference players Rosales, Dominguez and Vazquez.

Senior forward Perla Frayre-Delgado drove through the block of Wellsville’s Alexis McDaniel. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)

Freshman guard Nieves Vazquez scored on a breakaway layup. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)

Junior forward Tina Rosales made a move against the interior defense of the Lady Eagles. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)

Head coach Dominique Washington pulled the team together in a timeout in the fourth quarter. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)

Senior guard Vanesa Otero brought the ball up the court. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)

Freshman guard Mercedes Dominguez was stymied by the Wellsville defense on a drive inside. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)

Senior forward Perla Frayre-Delgado put up a shot in the lane. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)

Frayre-Delgado wiped away a tear as she left the court for the final time as a Lady Cyclone. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)

Sporting KC exits playoffs with 3-0 loss

Minnesota defender Michael Boxall headed away a shot from Johnny Russell on Thursday night at Children’s Mercy Park. Sporting Kansas City had early opportunities, but failed to convert in its 3-0 playoff loss to Minnesota United FC. (Photo copyright 2020 by Brian Turrel)

by Brian Turrel

A 3-0 beating Thursday night at the hands of Minnesota United FC sent Sporting Kansas City spinning out of the MLS Cup playoffs, and looking for answers to familiar problems as they head into next year. Missed scoring chances and defensive lapses squandered Kansas City’s hard-won regular season success.

Kansas City had its best chances early, but failed to convert. Forward Alan Pulido, Kansas City’s leading scorer, was held out of Thursday’s match with a knee injury, and his finishing touch was missed.

In the 2nd minute, Johnny Russell chipped the ball over Minnesota goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair, who came out to challenge but got caught out by Russell’s shot. Defender Michael Boxall bailed out his keeper by heading the ball away at the goal line.

In the 14th minute, Russell got another chance on a pass forward from Khiry Shelton, but St. Clair charged out to knock away the one-on-one opportunity. Just a minute later St. Clair saved a close range header from KC defender Roberto Puncec.

In the 27th minute, Minnesota started its barrage. Midfielder Emanuel Reynosa found attacking teammates slipping in behind the Kansas City defense, and assisted on three goals in the span of only 12 minutes. The highlight was Reynosa’s scooped pass over the KC defense to Kevin Molina who smashed the ball across the goal and inside the left post.

With a three-goal advantage at the break, Minnesota took few offensive risks in the second half, and Sporting was unable to mount an effective attack.

Minnesota moves on to play the Seattle Sounders in the Western Conference final. Seattle defeated FC Dallas on Tuesday in the other semi-final match and will be the host of the match as the top remaining seed.

Sporting ended the regular season with a 12-6-3 record and finished in first place in the MLS Western Conference standings.

Russell brought down a pass forward into the Minnesota end. (Photo copyright 2020 by Brian Turrel)

Midfielder Roger Espinoza fought with Minnesota defender Chase Gasper for control of the ball near the Minnesota end line. (Photo copyright 2020 by Brian Turrel)

Midfielder Ilie Sanchez launched the ball down into the Minnesota penalty area. (Photo copyright 2020 by Brian Turrel)

Minnesota goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair saved a close-range header from defender Roberto Puncec. (Photo copyright 2020 by Brian Turrel)

Espinoza played a header forward. (Photo copyright 2020 by Brian Turrel)

Russell tried to block a clearance from Gasper. (Photo copyright 2020 by Brian Turrel)

Defender Jaylin Lindsey tried to push the ball forward past Gasper. (Photo copyright 2020 by Brian Turrel)

Forward Khiry Shelton slid in to prevent Minnesota midfielder Jan Gregus from taking possession. (Photo copyright 2020 by Brian Turrel)

Melia saves, Sporting KC advances

Goalkeeper Tim Melia dove to his right to block a shot during the penalty shootout in Sporting Kansas City’s first round MLS Cup playoff match against the San Jose Earthquakes. Kansas City won the shootout and the match and will advance to the conference semifinals. (Photo copyright 2020 by Brian Turrel)

by Brian Turrel

Sporting Kansas City goalkeeper Tim Melia made the previously impossible look easy Sunday night, becoming the first goalkeeper in MLS history to stop the first three penalty kicks of a shootout.

Melia’s heroics saw his side safely past the San Jose Earthquakes and through to the semifinals of the Western Conference MLS Cup playoffs.

Melia’s talent for denying penalty kicks is already well-known. He has won all six of his career matches that have gone to a penalty shootout, and he’s the MLS career leader in opponents’ penalty kick percentage. Even so, head coach Peter Vermes was surprised.

“He’s just really good at it,” Vermes said. “I’ve never seen that in my life. I’ve never seen a goalkeeper make the first three saves in penalty kicks. I’ve never witnessed it. It says a lot about Tim. He does this regularly. It’s something special that he has. It really is. He’s a different level. I don’t get surprised a lot, but I was surprised tonight.”

In the penalty shootout, Johnny Russell, Ilie Sanchez and Khiry Shelton all reached the net past San Jose goalkeeper James Marcinkowski. The shootout was needed because the teams were tied at three at the end of regulation, and 30 minutes of overtime play failed to yield a winner.

Kansas City thought it had the match won in regulation when Gianluca Busio scored to put the team ahead 3-2 in the first minute of stoppage time. Gerso Fernandes made a deep run down the left side and crossed the ball into the box. Khiry Shelton touched the ball back to Busio, who was trailing him, unmarked by a defender. Busio took a single touch to stretch out the goalkeeper and then surely knocked the ball past him.

However, as stoppage time dragged on to seven minutes, San Jose forward Chris Wondolowski found the crowd-deflating equalizer that sent the match to overtime.

Ilie Sanchez notched the 2-2 equalizer in the 47th minute to bring KC back from a 2-1 halftime deficit. Ilie received a corner kick from Busio at the near post and headed it across the face of the goal, just inside the far post.

In the first half, Kansas City scored in the fourth minute when Johnny Russell earned a corner kick with a deep run into San Jose’s end. Russell took the kick and swung it in toward a crowd in the middle of the box. Roger Espinoza headed it in to give Kansas City the early lead.

In the next round of playoffs, Sporting Kansas City will play host to Minnesota United FC, which defeated the Colorado Rapids 3-0 to advance. The contest will be played on Dec. 1 or 2 at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas, the date depending on the outcome of other playoff matches.