by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC
Kansas City Kansas Community College will hold a first-round NJCAA Division I soccer playoff game for the first time in history next Thursday, Oct. 26.
The Blue Devils’ opening foe will not be determined until the completion of the Region VI season this weekend.
However, game time will be at 7 p.m. KCKCC has qualified to host playoff games in the past but could not because the old field was not of regulation size and did not meet official certification. As a result, KCKCC had to host on other fields.
The Blue Devils clinched no worse than a second-place finish Tuesday when they battled Johnson County to a double overtime 2-2 tie. The deadlock closed out the Blue Devils regular season with a 6-3-1 Region VI record and an overall 8-3-1 mark.
KCKCC still has an outside chance to win the Jayhawk Conference but would need Neosho County (5-2-1) to lose its final two games. Cowley (5-3-1) could pull even with KCKCC in the final standings with a win in its final game but KCKCC swept the Tigers in their two meetings this season and holds the tie-breaker advantage.
Freshmen scored both KCKCC goals at JCCC Tuesday. Keevin Dyke of Cape Girardeau, Mo., gave the Blue Devils the early lead 1-0 and Piper’s Jackson Jones made it 2-1 before the Cavaliers scored to force the two 10-minute overtimes.
“Jackson Jones played a real strong game for us,” KCKCC coach Ruben Rodriguez said. “He’s had a good season for us.”
Women fall
The KCKCC women dropped an 8-2 decision to Johnson County (13-4) in the opener Tuesday.
Sophomore Emilie Lutz scored early for a 1-1 tie; co-captain Bailey Zinser of Tonganoxie tallied the second.
The loss left the Lady Blue Devils 7-9 going into the season finale Friday at league-leading Butler County at 4 p.m.