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
