Goddard Eisenhower girls soccer extends undefeated year with regional title
Given the influx of talent on the Goddard Eisenhower girls soccer team over the years, this might not be the most talented team the program has ever produced.
But it very well could be the best team.
The Tigers improved to 18-0 on Thursday and extended their shutout streak to eight straight games with a 4-0 win over Hays in a Class 5A regional championship game.
Eisenhower, the No. 1 seed in the West region, will host Kapaun Mt. Carmel (13-5) at 6 p.m. Monday in the 5A quarterfinals.
“I don’t have one standout player who teams can just load up against,” Eisenhower coach Roger Downing said. “All of my girls are very solid across the board and they play so well together and so unselfishly. I’ve never had a group of girls like this before that play this well together as a team.”
No team in the Kansas high school girls soccer world has dominated quite as much as Eisenhower, which has outscored opponents by a 96-5 margin this season. That is the No. 1-ranked team in the entire state, led by a back line of seniors in Ava McAninch, Emma Bachman, Hannah Bedore and Stephanie Best with sophomore Jules Elliott in goal.
Unlike in past seasons when Eisenhower has featured one of the top goalscorers in Kansas, this season’s team has found the same success with a balanced scoring approach.
Senior Mackenzie Jordan, junior Chloe Smith, junior Reagan Best, sophomore Kaeleigh Shamburger, sophomore Reese Nusser, freshman Dani Smith and freshman Kaitlyn Celso all have proven to be dangerous scorers this season. Jordan, Shamburger, Best and Nusser each have double-digit goals and assists, while Downing credits Chloe Smith for being the engine to the attack.
“We’re not just relying on one girl and if she has a bad game, then we’re screwed,” Downing said. “We have six or seven girls who have all stepped up this year and produced for us. They just share the ball so well and we possess the ball extremely well. This is the first senior class that I’ve had all four years and they’ve bought into what we’re trying to do and it shows up in our record.”
Kansas high school girls soccer quarterfinal bracket
Class 6A
Lawrence Free State (9-8-1) at Maize (13-5), 5 p.m.
Class 5A
Kapaun Mt. Carmel (13-5) at Goddard Eisenhower (18-0), 6 p.m.
Maize South (16-2) at Bishop Carroll (18-0), 6 p.m.
Class 4-1A
Topeka Hayden (11-7) at Wichita Trinity (14-1-2), 6:30 p.m.
Mulvane (12-6) at Rose Hill (14-4), 6:30 p.m.
KSHSAA girls soccer regional championship scores
Class 6A
Lawrence Free State 2, Derby 1
Maize 3, Dodge City 0
Topeka 3, Wichita Northwest 1
Class 5A
Bishop Carroll 7, Salina South 0
Goddard Eisenhower 4, Hays 0
Kapaun Mt. Carmel 4, Andover Central 2
Maize South 8, Hutchinson 0
Class 4-1A
Mulvane 2, Buhler 1 (3-2 PK’s)
Rose Hill 2, Cair Paravel 0
Topeka Hayden 2, McPherson 1
Wichita Trinity 3, Wichita Classical 0
This story was originally published May 23, 2025 at 6:00 AM.
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