Montez scores five as Lady Pirates blank Bonner Springs

Piper junior Sierra Montez took a shot at the Bonner Springs goal. Montez took 9 shots in the match and scored on 5 of them in the Lady Pirates’ 10-0 win. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)

by Brian Turrel

Piper High School celebrated senior night for girls’ soccer with a 10-0 shutout of Bonner Springs, but it was the junior class that did the damage.

Sierra Montez scored five goals, knifing through Bonner defenders with quick lateral and diagonal moves. Ryann Clark added four more, showing her talent for keeping possession in traffic. Kyndell Letcher, an indispensible part of the Lady Pirates’ high press, scored a goal as well.

In Piper’s offense-heavy performance, three goals stood out. The first happened in the 16th minute when Montez, playing in the defensive line, won the ball in a duel and started an end-to-end run.

She played a smooth give-and-go to Letcher near midfield, got the ball back and broke downfield, flat-footing defenders and finishing with a clean shot on goal.

The next highlight play was Clark’s fourth goal of the match, 10 minutes into the second half. Positioned squarely in front of goal, she timed her jump on a corner kick and headed it into the net.

Also drawing attention was a 57th minute score from Montez. Finding herself unmarked outside the 18-yard box, she unleashed a blast into the upper right of the goal to put her team up by eight.

The win breaks a three-game losing streak for the Lady Pirates. They finish the regular season at 9-5.

The Lady Braves end their regular season with a 4-12 record. Both teams will await the 5A playoff brackets to be announced on May 14, with regional playoffs to start on May 16.