Category: Communities

by Brian Turrel

Five Wyandotte County girls’ high school soccer teams wrapped up play Friday at the second annual Golden Bears Invitational Tournament in Turner.

In the third place match, Piper defeated Bishop Ward 7-0. Freshman Jessica Hale opened the scoring just four minutes in with a run straight up the middle into the box. Seven different players scored for the Lady Pirates in the match. 

Kyndell Letcher completed the first half with a successful penalty kick with less than a minute remaining before the break for a 5-0 advantage.

Sumner Academy defeated Bonner Springs in the fifth place match, outscoring the Lady Braves 7-0 in the second half for a 9-1 win. Joselyn Clark continued to ignite the Sumner offense, turning midfield steals into runs on goal.

Jordan Tran scored two opportunistic goals late in the second half, and Valery Chacon capped the match by scoring with just nine seconds left on the clock.

Junior Mariana Perea-Sandoval scored the Lady Braves’ lone goal in her first ever varsity match. Bonner Springs missed the scoring touch from Jenna Knight, away for a track meet, and the Lady Sabres’ tight midfield defense prevented the long runs Bonner showed in its previous match.

In the seventh place match, the host Lady Bears defeated Raytown 3-0 to earn their first win of the young season.

Turner kept offensive pressure on the Blue Jays throughout the match, but couldn’t break through until just before halftime. One Turner player exclaimed 20 minutes in, “I thought we’d have a goal by now!”

Midfielder Aleyda Salazar earned that first goal with less than a minute remaining in the first half, banging a shot from range up the middle. Salazar’s elusive ball-handling had the Raytown midfield on its heels whenever she pressed forward, and she scored again on a similar shot in the second half.

Xochitl Gomez Corral scored Turner’s other goal, crossing a ball into the box from the left side that curled inside the far post.

After the match, head coach Sara Jackson remarked on the growth her team showed.

“We were slow to start,” the head coach explained, “probably due to the previous four heavy losses with hardly any goal-scoring opportunities. As the game went on, our girls’ confidence grew and they finally managed to put the ball in the back of the net. It was awesome to see our girls’ passes connect and work their way up the field for our first offensive match of the season.”

6A standout Shawnee Mission Northwest defeated Shawnee Mission North 2-0 in the title battle between two longtime Sunflower League rivals.

Final tournament standings:
Shawnee Mission Northwest
Shawnee Mission North
Piper
Bishop Ward
Sumner
Bonner Springs
Turner
Raytown

by Brian Turrel

The second round of the Golden Bears girls’ soccer tournament was held Wednesday at the Turner District Activities Center.

A fierce north wind swept the early games, dropping the wind chill into the 30s. As the late matches started, a chill rain arrived to soak the few hardy members of the light crowd.

The Bonner Springs Lady Braves defeated the Raytown Blue Jays 10-0, triggering the mercy rule with five minutes remaining in the match. Bonner’s center midfielder Mercedes Madlock owned the pitch when she chose to press forward, and her connection with forward Jenna Knight powered the offense.

Knight scored four goals and earned three assists. Madlock bent two second-half corner kicks on goal for her two scores. Gineveve Sopher scored twice, and Luci Smith and Laura Fisher scored one goal each.

Piper played Shawnee Mission North to a tight 1-0 decision in North’s favor. Goalkeeper Raegyn Combs saved 15 shots in a stand-out defensive performance for the Lady Pirates.

Bishop Ward’s first-round victory over Raymore put it in the line of fire for Shawnee Mission Northwest in the second round. The Lady Cougars won the match decisively, ringing up 10 goals in the first half to force an early stoppage.

Sumner Academy took on the host team, earning a 8-0 victory over the Golden Bears. Captain Joselyn Clark provided much of the offensive firepower. Ashley Terrazas scored on a brilliant free kick that arced into the net from 30 yards just over the outstretched fingers of Turner’s goalkeeper.

The tournament’s final round will take place on Friday. Piper and Bishop Ward will vie for third place starting at 4:30 p.m. on the lower field, while Sumner and Bonner Springs contest fifth place on the upper field. At 6:00 p.m. Turner and Raytown meet in the seventh place match on the upper field, while Shawnee Mission North and Shawnee Mission Northwest duel for the tournament title on the lower field.