Jay Daubenberger
Liberal, Kansas – Seward County competed in their first conference matchup of the 2024 campaign and was finally on their home field for the first time this season and managed to put up a fight against the #15 Kansas City Kansas Blue Devils where throughout most of the contest the Lady Saints held strong on both ends, but could not pull off the upset as they fell 1-0 on the afternoon.
SCCC came out of the gates with an immediate drive down the field past the Blue Devil defenders as Dayra Dinarte dribbled through the defense and found her spot for a quick shot that landed just outside of the crossbar to keep the score at 0-0 ten minutes in. Natoya Atkinson added to the offensive barrage from the Lady Saints with the sophomore forward slicing her way past the defense for shot that landed on goal but was knocked away at the last second from the KCK goalie. With ten minutes left to play, it was now the Blue Devils who found a path down the field for a drive and managed to get a few shots off before the halftime buzzer but were silenced by Miu Kamei who made multiple saves to help Seward County enter halftime still tied with KCK 0-0.
It was a tough stretch for the Lady Saints in the second half as they struggled to find their shot attempts but still held tough on the defensive end. The only shot from SCCC in the second half came from Giuliani Granada who launched in an absolute rocket of a shot that was barely controlled by the KCK defense to keep the score sheet blank on both sides. Momentum switched quickly as the Blue Devils ended up with possession close to the Lady Saints goal and when it looked as though an open shot was about to be taken, Kiara Leiton came to the rescue to knock the ball out of bounds and save Seward County. Through 80:00 total minutes of action SCCC was able to hang strong with the nationally ranked Blue Devils before KCK finally connected on the only goal of the contest for a 1-0 lead and despite one final drive down the field, the Lady Saints could not score a goal of their own for a 1-0 loss to start conference action.
Seward County falls to 1-1-1 on the 2024 season with an 0-1 record in KJCCC action. The Lady Saints will now have a few days to prepare for their next matchup as they take on the Hutchinson Blue Dragons on Saturday August 31st at 2:00 PM on Redskin Field.
