Category: KCKCC

by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC

Kansas City Kansas Community College will need help to return to the top of the Jayhawk Conference women’s soccer standings.

A 5-2 loss at first place Cowley College (7-1) Saturday dropped the 16th ranked Blue Devils (6-3) two losses back in the standings with three games to go. KCKCC dealt Cowley its only conference loss 2-1 in the first meeting of the two teams.

KCKCC’s two remaining home games are against teams right on the Blue Devils’ heels, Johnson County (5-3) Friday at 5 p.m. and Coffeyville (5-3) Sunday, Oct. 20. The Lady Blue Devils lone road game is at Allen County (0-9) Oct. 16.

Meanwhile, Cowley has a makeup game with No. 13 ranked Butler County (4-3-1) and regularly scheduled games at JCCC and Coffeyville and a home contest with Neosho.

Two early Cowley goals put the Blue Devils (9-2-1) in a hole from which they could not escape.

Kayley Pedersen, a freshman midfielder from Shawnee Mission West, got KCKCC back in contention when she bent in a corner kick late in the half but three second half Tiger goals were too much to overcome.

Freshman forward Madison Broeker got KCKCC’s second goal when she scored off a Pedersen corner kick.

“We didn’t contain their top forward nor put together a full 90 minutes,” KCKCC assistant coach Sara Matthews said. “We look like we had tired bus legs in giving up two goals in the first 20 minutes. We gained a little momentum going into the half of Pedersen’s corner kick but missed too many chances and allow Cowley took much time and space. They’re too good to give them that.

“Our fate is in our hands,” she said. “We have to learn from these games and do our job in our remaining three games. We score goals, in fact, we’ve scored multiple goals in every game. But we have to put together 90 minutes of team defense. If we do, we are a forced to be reckoned with.”

Cowley, which is 9-2 overall, leads the Jayhawk at 7-1 followed by KCKCC, 6-3; JCCC and Coffeyville, both 5-3; Butler, 4-3-1; Neosho, 1-6-1; and Allen, 0-9.

by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC

No. 10 ranked Cowley College pulled away late in each of the final two sets for a 3-0 volleyball sweep of Kansas City Kansas Community College Wednesday.

The win boosted the Lady Tigers to 20-2 overall and left the Blue Devils 11-8 overall and 2-4 in the Jayhawk Conference heading into the Central Nebraska Tournament in Columbus Friday and Saturday.

The Blue Devils will face Southwestern Iowa Friday at 5 p.m. and Central Nebraska at 7 p.m. On Saturday, KCKCC will play Northeast Nebraska at 11 a.m. and North Platte at 3 p.m.

After taking a 25-14 win in the opening set Wednesday, Cowley won the final three points for a 25-22 win in the second set and broke a 19-19 tie for a 25-21 victory to close out the match.

“The last couple of games we played well enough but we have to find a different gear,” KCKCC coach Mary Bruno-Ballou said. “We are allowing teams to outscore us at the very end. We also need to improve our first ball contact. Cowley is a very good team but we as a group did not hit well.”

McKenna Johnson, a freshman from Christ Prep Academy in Lenexa, earned the team’s most valuable teammate award for the week.

“McKenna is vital to the chemistry of this team,” Bruno-Ballou said. “A constant worker at practice, she helps our team in many ways.”

KCKCC has four Jayhawk contests remaining, three at home in the Blue Devils’ bid to earn a playoff berth in a Region VI that has six teams ranked in the Top 11 in the nation.

Defending national champion Coffeyville (24-1) is No. 2 followed by No. 5 Johnson County 16-4), No. 6 Fort Scott (21-3), No. 7 Highland (20-5), No. 10 Cowley (20-2) and No. 11 Cloud County (15-3).

The Blue Devils’ remaining home games are against Labette Oct. 9, Fort Scott Oct. 14 and Hesston Oct. 30.

Their remaining road league game is at Highland Oct. 23.

Coffeyville (4-0) leads the Jayhawk followed by Johnson County and Fort Scott, both 5-1; Cowley, 4-1; Cloud, 3-2; Highland, 3-3; KCKCC, 2-4; Allen, 1-3; and Hesston, Labette and Neosho, all of which are winless.

Blue Devil men postponed until Tuesday; both teams at Cowley Saturday

by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC

Sara Matthews came away with a winner in taking the coaching reins of Kansas City Kansas Community College’s women’s soccer team Wednesday.

Getting a near flawless effort by the defense, the Blue Devils cruised to a 4-0 win over Neosho County.

The Blue Devils were without head coach Shawn Uhlenhake, who underwent early morning surgery Thursday. His return is uncertain.

The game started in a downpour that dissipated after the first 10 minutes.

However, the Blue Devil men were not as fortunate. Lightning and heavy rain forced their game to be postponed until next Tuesday with a tentative 5 p.m. kickoff.

The win pulled the Blue Devils (6-2) to within a half-game of Jayhawk Conference leader Cowley College (6-1) and set up the game of the year Saturday when KCKCC travels to Cowley for a 2 p.m. kickoff.

Cowley’s home game with third place Butler County Wednesday was suspended in the 68th minute with the two teams deadlocked 1-1. No date has been set for completion of the game.

“A big game, for sure,” Matthews said. “On the road against the top team in the conference, it’s a big test.”

Wednesday’s win boosted KCKCC’s overall record to 9-2, the best in the team’s history.

KCKCC’s defense allowed only one shot on goal in blanking Neosho.

Freshman goalkeeper Jaidyn Takaishi turned away the Panthers’ lone shot while sophomores Sydney Guerra and Alex Schemmel and freshmen Paige Liston and Caroline Rutledge cemented the defense.

Meanwhile, the Blue Devils were launching 17 shots offensively in getting goals from a quartet of freshmen – Jaidyn Yingling, Kayley Pedersen, Corrine Hughes and Melissa Siegel.

Once the rain let up, Yingling put KCKCC in front 1-0 at 23:11 on the first of two Siegel assists.

“Jaidyn just battled and hustled her way to get the shot,” said Matthews. Pedersen made it 2-0 with 9:22 left in the half. “Corrine Hughes got a good cross and K.P. was there to use her body to finish.”

Hughes’ score came 1½ minutes into the second half.

“Melissa got a cross over to Corrine, who powered it in – a shoe-shining goal,” Matthews said.

Siegel outbattled a bevy of Neosho defenders for the final goal on a corner kick from Pedersen.

“When you come and get a 4-0 win, it’s a good night,” said Matthews, who has had previous head coaching experience at Avila University. “It was a slow game with all the rain but we were still able to control the game.”