‘Our Disney movie’: Mulvane girls soccer advances to first ever Kansas state semis
Battered and bruised after 110 minutes of championship soccer, Mulvane senior Cassidey Coon was still hobbling around the field after the hugs, the tears and the pictures.
Going to the state semifinals didn’t seem possible for the Mulvane girls soccer team, a program that — before last week — had never made it past regionals. And that is why Coon sacrificed her body — at one point her coach asked her if she needed to come out of the game — on Tuesday in hopes of doing the unthinkable.
And sure enough, the improbable became reality when Coon’s penalty kick smashed off the top post and into the goal to seal Mulvane’s victory over Buhler in the fourth round of penalty kicks following four scoreless overtime periods that couldn’t break a 1-1 regulation tie. So the dream season for the Wildcats (15-4) continues in their first appearance in the Kansas high school girls soccer Class 4-1A state semifinals, where they will play Louisburg (12-6-1) at 5 p.m. Friday in Wichita at Stryker Soccer Complex.
“I was joking during the overtimes that this could be a Disney, made-for-TV movie or something,” Mulvane coach Jesse Myers said. “And then Cass gets up there and it was like, ‘Oh my God, this really is our Disney movie.’”
What Mulvane lacked in tradition, depth and club players, the team made up for with resilience, heart and determination.
Myers said the focus on Tuesday wasn’t so much about strategy as it was about trying to make the girls believe that they were good enough, that Mulvane did belong on this stage. And a 27th-minute goal by sophomore star forward Karlie Kanaga to put Mulvane up 1-0 certainly helped with that message.
“I just told the girls that they are such a good team and you’ve just got to believe in yourself and stick with each other,” Myers said. “I knew they could do it, so I just wanted them to believe in each other.”
Even when Buhler found the equalizer from Hali Eddy just before halftime, Mulvane didn’t crumble. Thanks to some timely saves from sophomore goalkeeper Rylie Schiffelbein and underclassmen like Haley Shaw, Kasey Dillon and Ashlyn Alumbaugh stepping up in key minutes off the bench, the Wildcats survived 30 minutes of overtime play to advance to penalty kicks.
Schiffelbein was instrumental in Mulvane’s victory, as she recorded three saves against four kicks she faced with Buhler missing the other one. After Kanaga converted her penalty to give Mulvane a 1-0 lead after the second round, Coon’s attempt gave Mulvane a 2-0 lead and sealed the win with Buhler only having one attempt left.
“It’s been an amazing season with an amazing group of girls,” Myers said. “They showed up every day and worked hard. We don’t have a lot of depth, so a lot of these girls are on the field for the whole 80 minutes every game. But they have so much heart and I’m so proud of them.”
Maize South ends the undefeated season of rival Maize
Maize entered the postseason with an unbeaten record and the top overall seed in the West side of the Class 5A bracket, which earned them home field for Tuesday’s quarterfinals.
But Maize South stunned its rival, as Alexa Meyer found Kendyl Ewertz four minutes after halftime for what became the game-winning goal in one of the state’s biggest upsets — a 1-0 Maize South win.
Maize (17-1-1) defeated Maize South 2-0 in its regular-season meeting on April 22 and had only allowed two goals in its last 11 games.
Meanwhile, Maize South (15-3-1) punched its ticket to the state tournament at Spring Hill High School where the Mavericks will play Blue Valley Southwest (13-1-3) at 5 p.m. Friday.
Bishop Carroll turns it up to knock off Eisenhower
The defense of Eisenhower had only allowed four goals in 18 games entering Tuesday’s quarterfinals.
Bishop Carroll was able to match that season total in 80 minutes, as the Golden Eagles prevailed in a 4-0 victory over Eisenhower to advance to the Class 5A state semifinals.
Carroll led 2-0 by halftime following goals from Brecken Hoy, assisted by her sister, Destiny Hoy, and Khloe Schuckman, assisted by Anna Lasak. The quick start early was imperative, coach Greg Rauch said.
“The girls did an exceptional job at getting the ball at their feet and making Eisenhower try to chase them around the park,” Rauch said. “Eisenhower is a very good defensive team, so we wanted to try to tire them out the best we possibly could and then deliver some early blows.”
Carroll (16-3) scored a pair of second-half goals, as Schuckman notched her second goal of the game on a Destiny Hoy assist and Lasak scored the final goal on an assist from Briana Raya.
The Golden Eagles will play St. Thomas Aquinas (15-4) at 7 p.m. Friday at Spring Hill High School.
McPherson stuns Circle to end perfect season
Circle entered its Class 4-1A quarterfinal with an unblemished 18-0 record, which included a 2-1 win over McPherson — the team it was playing on Tuesday.
But in the postseason rematch, it was all McPherson in a 3-1 victory to end the dream season for the Thunderbirds.
Circle fell behind in the 10th minute of the game on an own goal. McPherson took control of the match in the 58th minute when Lauren Labertew scored to double the lead, then Kenzee Godwin put the game out of reach to give McPherson a 3-0 lead. Circle’s Brooklyn Hunter added a late goal.
McPherson (14-4-1) will play Bishop Miege (13-6) at 7 p.m. Friday in Wichita at Stryker Soccer Complex.
Both WPS City League teams fall in 6A quarters
In Class 6A quarterfinal action, both of the spirited runs by Wichita Public Schools came to an end on the road.
North lost 10-0 at Washburn Rural to conclude an impressive run that saw the team begin the postseason with a 6-10 record before reeling off two straight upsets to win a regional championship.
Meanwhile, Northwest’s defense hung tough for 80 minutes at Manhattan but ultimately fell in a 2-0 loss. The Grizzlies capped a 12-win season with another quarterfinal appearance.
This story was originally published May 26, 2021 at 6:00 AM.
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