KCKCC women match best single season record with fifth win

Itzel Almanza (KCKCC photo)

by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC

Just six matches into the 2017 season, Kansas City Kansas Community College’s women’s soccer team has already matched the college record for wins in a season.

Win No. 5 came Tuesday, a 3-0 blanking of Cowley County at Arkansas City. The win also boosted the Lady Blue Devils’ record in Jayhawk Conference play to 2-1 with both wins coming on the road.

The Blue Devils will go after a record sixth win Tuesday when they play host to St. Charles in a 6 p.m. kickoff.

KCKCC took control in the first three minutes at Cowley when sophomore Emilie Lutz of Toronto, Canada, broke away for an unassisted goal. The Blue Devils quickly made it 2-0 at the 17-minute mark when Harmon freshman Itzel Almanza headed in a shot off a corner kick by Lansing sophomore Bailey Zinser.

The Blue Devils’ final goal came when an alert Almanza scored when Cowley goalkeeper Paulina Dziubek dropped a corner kick. The two goals were Almanza’s fourth and fifth of the season.

“Five goals in six games for a freshman is pretty impressive,” Uhlenhake said. “She’s really been a dangerous player for us in scoring goals.”

The shutout posted by freshman goalkeeper Morgan Longstreth of Olathe Northwest was the Blue Devils fourth of the season.

“That’s the reason we’re 5-1; we’ve allowed only two goals all season,” Uhlenhake said. “That’s impressive for a young team. Also, we scored early which really help. Their goalkeeper made some very good saves, four on point blank shots.”

Longstreth posted four saves on shots on goal while the Blue Devils got off 16 shots including seven on goal.