Three goals in 132 seconds spark Maize South

Maize South senior Saige Peebler made the most of her first and only game this soccer season.

Peebler, sidelined all season because of a hip injury, scored two goals and the Mavericks cruised past Louisburg 8-0in the Class 4-1A third-place game Saturday at Friends University.

The Mavericks quickly erased the taste of Friday’s 3-2 overtime semifinal loss to Bishop Miege, scoring six goals in 7 minutes, 40 seconds of the first half. The first three were scored in 132 seconds.

“If we’re feeling it … we were fired up from losing (Friday) and we wanted to come out for our last game, especially us seniors,” said Peebler, who will attend Washburn this fall. “This is my last game and my first game back. It felt good.”

The quick turnaround seemed to inspire Maize South (18-2-1). Junior Gabrielle Crowell took a pass from senior Brooke Cooper and beat goalkeeper Shay Whiting. Just 80 seconds later, Crowell raced in on a breakaway for a 2-0 lead. Maize South struck again seconds later when Cooper scored off an assist from fellow senior Hayden Burnett.

Louisburg (13-7-1), in its second year as a program, managed two shots on the Mavericks’ Abbey Wilks. The Wildcats made it to the regional final last year.

Burnett, who had two goals and an assist, will head to UMKC in the fall.

“(Friday) was really tough for us … but that fueled us even harder for (Saturday) and fight for this win,” she said. “It just means a lot, since this is our last game. We’re just glad we got to end it in such a big win.”

Coach Marlon Rios said he knew his team was hungry after Friday’s loss.

“We came out strong, and we showed how good this team is,” he said. “Our girls were so driven to get this game. They were just after it from the get-go.”

This story was originally published May 27, 2017 at 3:14 PM with the headline "Three goals in 132 seconds spark Maize South."