By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Nine days after a frustrating 1-0 home United Kansas Conference loss to Basehor-Linwood, Seaman's girls soccer team responded with one of its best performances of the season last Thursday, taking a 4-1 road win over the Bobcats to advance to the Class 5A quarterfinals.
Seaman celebrates its Class 5A regional soccer championship after last Thursday's 4-1 road win at Basehor-Linwood. [Seaman Athletics]
"We played a lot better,'' Seaman coach Kyle Seevers said. "We had probably our best overall game of the season. Every person that went in competed hard, connected, defended, won 50-50 balls. It was just a complete game.''
After dropping three straight one-goal games to end the regular season, the Vikings bounced back with a 10-0 win over Kansas City-Schlagle in its regional opener and never trailed in the regional final after Parker Ayres and Marin Schuler scored first-half goals to give Seaman a 2-0 advantage.
Midway through the second half Basehor-Linwood cut its deficit to 2-1 but Seaman's Taylin Stallbaumer answered with a pivotal goal to put Seaman up 3-1 and Ryin Miller found the net less than a minute after Stallbaumer's goal to give the Vikings their final margin.
Miller had a pair of assists in the Seaman win while Schuler also had an assist.
Now the 12-4-1 Vikings will attempt to build off that win in Tuesday's 6 p.m. quarterfinal at Blue Valley Southwest (15-2-0).
Blue Valley Southwest probably has to be considered the favorite, particularly at home, but Seevers has no doubt his team will put up a fight.
"Anything can happen,'' Seevers said. "When we beat De Soto (1-0) it wasn't always pretty but sometimes you've just go to muddy the waters to get a catfish so that's kind of been our go to ever since the De Soto game, to muddy the waters. It may not be pretty but it gets done.''
Seaman will be looking to continue what has been a magical 2023-2024 school year, with the Vikings winning 5A state titles in volleyball and basketball and punching their ticket to the state tournament in softball.
"We've got such a great group of athletes right now,'' Seevers said. "Not always the best soccer players, but oh my God do we have winners that are great athletes.''
Also looking to extend its season will be 13-5-0 Shawnee Heights, which will be on the road to face 16-1-0 St. Thomas Aquinas in the other 5A East quarterfinal at 7 p.m.
Tuesday's other two 5A quarterfinals pit Andover (15-2-1) at Maize South (18-0-0) and Andover Central (15-2-1) at Bishop Carroll (16-2-0).
The quarterfinal winners will advance to Friday's state semifinals at Spring Hill (4 and 6:30 p.m.), followed by the third-place and championship games on Saturday at 12 and 3 p.m.
Shawnee Heights' soccer team earned a Class 5A regional title last Thursday with a 2-1 road win at KC-Sumner. [Shawnee Heights soccer]
Red-hot T-Birds on road to face defending champs
Shawnee Heights will put its six-game winning streak on the line at 7 p.m. Tuesday, going on the road for the second straight game to face three-time defending Class 5A state champion St. Thomas Aquinas.
The T-Birds are now 13-5-0 on the season while Aquinas is 15-1-0.
After opening its postseason with a 3-2 overtime win over Spring Hill, Shawnee Heights held on for a 2-1 road victory at Kansas City-Sumner last Thursday.
The T-Birds turned in a gutsy effort against the Sabres, closing out the one-goal win despite playing the final 15 minutes a player down after a Shawnee Heights player picked up a red card and was ejected.
Tuesday's other three 5A quarterfinal games include Seaman (12-4-1) at Blue Valley Southwest (15-2-0), Andover (15-2-1) at Maize South (18-0-0) and Andover Central (15-2-1) at Bishop Carroll (16-2-0).
The quarterfinal winners will advance to Friday's state semifinals at Spring Hill (4 and 6:30 p.m.), followed by the third-place and championship games on Saturday at 12 and 3 p.m.
Junior Kate Hinck (9) scored four first-half goals Thursday night to lead the way as Washburn Rural rolled to an 8-0 win over Wichita East in a Class 6A regional final. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Junior Blues looking to earn 10th straight trip to 6A final four
Washburn Rural will be looking to extend its amazing streak of Class 6A state semifinal appearances to 10 seasons when the Junior Blues host Lawrence Free State at 4 p.m. Tuesday at McElroy Field.
Tuesday's game time was moved up due to Free State's graduation ceremony Tuesday night.
Rural, which placed third in 6A a year ago, will take a 15-3-0 record into Tuesday's game while Free State is 5-12-1.
The Junior Blues outscored their two regional opponents by an 18-0 margin, including an 8-0 home win over Wichita East last Thursday.
Junior Kate Hinck scored seven goals for Washburn Rural last week, including four goals in the regional final win over Wichita East.
The Junior Blues also got goals from juniors Delaney Hill and Destiny Higgs, sophomore Peyton Merrick and freshman Erika Bovell while senior Hayley Legg was credited with three assists and the Junior Blues also got assists from Bovell, junior Ali Weakland, sophomore Dayne Shriver and senior Savannah Tuffley.
Senior Mackenzie Flood and junior Madison Lemke combined for the shutout in goal.
Other 6A quarterfinal games include Maize (13-4-1) at Garden City (12-3-2), Blue Valley Northwest (12-5-1) at defending champion Mill Valley (16-0-0) and Blue Valley West (13-3-1) at Olathe Northwest (15-3-0).
The quarterfinal winners will advance to Friday semifinals at Hummer Sports Park (4 and 6:30 p.m.), followed by the third-place and championship games on Saturday at 12 and 3 p.m.
Cair Paravel Latin will host Baldwin in a Class 4A-1A quarterfinal Tuesday after winning a regional title last Thursday. [Photo by Kyle Manthe/Special to TSN]
Lions eyeing return trip to Class 4A-1A semifinals after one year absence
Cair Paravel Latin earned its first-ever trip to the Class 4A-1A semifinals in 2022 en route to a fourth-place state finish before running into perennial state champion Bishop Miege in the state quarterfinals last spring.
Now the 13-4-1 Lions will be looking to make their second final four appearance in three seasons when they host Baldwin (12-6-0) in a 6 p.m. quarterfinal Tuesday at the Bettis Family Sports Complex.
Cair Paravel is coming off a 6-0 win over Eudora in last Thursday's regional final, with sophomore KellyAnn Chada scoring four of the Lions’ six goals.
Zahra Friess and Clare Everhart added goals for the Lions while Katherine Keys tallied three assists.
Tuesday's other 4A-1A semifinals include Bishop Miege (11-7-0) at Louisburg (13-4-1), Wichita Trinity (9-8-0) at Rose Hill (12-3-1) and McPherson (12-5-1) at Augusta (12-5-1).
The quarterfinal winners will advance to Friday semifinals at the Stryker Complex in Wichita (4 and 6:30 p.m.), followed by the third-place and championship games on Saturday at 12 and 3 p.m.
