ANNA FALTERMEIER/The Kearney CourierKearney High junior sweeper Kate Flinn jokes with a teammate during a 10-0 rout of Grandview on April 29 in Kearney, but the Bulldog defense has been no laughing matter this season.
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REASON TO SMILE
Shutout streak continues for girls soccer team
By Chris Geinosky
Kate Flinn and Katelin Leon stood around with not much to do but share a few jokes. That’s what happens at the defensive end of the field when the ball rarely crosses midfield in a blowout, like the three the Kearney High girls soccer team experienced last week.
The last line of defense — Kearney’s junior tandem of Flinn at sweeper and Leon in goal — for the Bulldogs has been anything but a laughing matter. Playing the likes of the Suburban Small Six Conference’s weaker teams, the Bulldogs have received few challenges recently, but that aside, they have aced nearly every test so far this season.
“If we get scored on, it hits us hard,” Flinn said of the defense. “It’s our responsibility to protect our house — the 18-yard box. We don’t want to let anyone ruin the carpet. That’s our mentality.”
One thing’s for sure — few have stepped inside the front door. Through the first 18 games of the season, Kearney has allowed a mere five goals.
“The key to success has been working together as a team,” Leon said. “There’s a lot of communication back there. We’re always talking.
“We didn’t know what to expect with a few new defenders back there with us, but we’ve really come together. It’s working. I don’t honestly remember the last goal we gave up.”
There’s a good reason why.
Coming into this week, the Bulldogs have registered eight consecutive shutouts, dating back to nearly a month ago.
Kearney last surrendered a goal April 15, in a 4-1 victory against Excelsior Springs. Since that time, the Bulldogs have rattled off nine straight wins, highlighted by three shutout victories against larger-class competition in the North Kansas City tournament.
“I think it’s fair to say you have to be a little different to play defense,” Flinn said. “Forwards keep track of their goals. We keep track of our shutouts. When someone’s coming at you full-speed trying to score, and you know it’s your job to stop them, it’s quite a rush.
“But we’re still a whole team out there. When we play our game — offense and defense — it’s magnificent.”
One of the reasons why the Bulldogs have been so good has been because of Flinn’s leadership and decision-
making ability.
“Everybody needs to be on the same page out there, and that page is Kate Flinn’s,” Kearney coach Jackie Haller said. “She’s running the show out there. It you hear it from her, you do it no questions asked, and that’s the way it has to be. Things happen too quickly back there. One mistake, one wrong step, and it can cost you a goal. With Kate back there, we haven’t had many of those. She has an amazing sense of where the ball’s going to go, and she makes sure everybody’s where they need to be.”
That’s the most impressive part of the Bulldogs’ success. Senior Kaylee Peery and freshman Emily Beasley are in their first seasons as outside backs, yet the defense has encountered few breakdowns. And when those have happened, Leon has rarely been beaten.
Without a doubt, Kearney’s constantly attacking offense plays a role in the equation, as does a ball-controlling midfield, led by senior Erika Siercks, who Haller describes as the glue in the middle of the field.
“When you look down our middle of the field — Siercks, Flinn and Leon — you’re talking about a strong center,” Haller said. “It’s definitely a team effort out there, but tenacious defenders always have a special place in my heart. You have to be mentally sharp all the time, and it’s a job that usually comes without glory.”
The glory comes in the shutouts and the victories. And it would also come in the form of the program’s first district championship in seven years, which the Bulldogs will go after next week in Excelsior Springs.
Sports writer Chris Geinosky can be reached at 389-6654 or cgeinosky@npgco.com.
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The last line of defense — Kearney’s junior tandem of Flinn at sweeper and Leon in goal — for the Bulldogs has been anything but a laughing matter. Playing the likes of the Suburban Small Six Conference’s weaker teams, the Bulldogs have received few challenges recently, but that aside, they have aced nearly every test so far this season.
“If we get scored on, it hits us hard,” Flinn said of the defense. “It’s our responsibility to protect our house — the 18-yard box. We don’t want to let anyone ruin the carpet. That’s our mentality.”
One thing’s for sure — few have stepped inside the front door. Through the first 18 games of the season, Kearney has allowed a mere five goals.
“The key to success has been working together as a team,” Leon said. “There’s a lot of communication back there. We’re always talking.
“We didn’t know what to expect with a few new defenders back there with us, but we’ve really come together. It’s working. I don’t honestly remember the last goal we gave up.”
There’s a good reason why.
Coming into this week, the Bulldogs have registered eight consecutive shutouts, dating back to nearly a month ago.
Kearney last surrendered a goal April 15, in a 4-1 victory against Excelsior Springs. Since that time, the Bulldogs have rattled off nine straight wins, highlighted by three shutout victories against larger-class competition in the North Kansas City tournament.
“I think it’s fair to say you have to be a little different to play defense,” Flinn said. “Forwards keep track of their goals. We keep track of our shutouts. When someone’s coming at you full-speed trying to score, and you know it’s your job to stop them, it’s quite a rush.
“But we’re still a whole team out there. When we play our game — offense and defense — it’s magnificent.”
One of the reasons why the Bulldogs have been so good has been because of Flinn’s leadership and decision-
making ability.
“Everybody needs to be on the same page out there, and that page is Kate Flinn’s,” Kearney coach Jackie Haller said. “She’s running the show out there. It you hear it from her, you do it no questions asked, and that’s the way it has to be. Things happen too quickly back there. One mistake, one wrong step, and it can cost you a goal. With Kate back there, we haven’t had many of those. She has an amazing sense of where the ball’s going to go, and she makes sure everybody’s where they need to be.”
That’s the most impressive part of the Bulldogs’ success. Senior Kaylee Peery and freshman Emily Beasley are in their first seasons as outside backs, yet the defense has encountered few breakdowns. And when those have happened, Leon has rarely been beaten.
Without a doubt, Kearney’s constantly attacking offense plays a role in the equation, as does a ball-controlling midfield, led by senior Erika Siercks, who Haller describes as the glue in the middle of the field.
“When you look down our middle of the field — Siercks, Flinn and Leon — you’re talking about a strong center,” Haller said. “It’s definitely a team effort out there, but tenacious defenders always have a special place in my heart. You have to be mentally sharp all the time, and it’s a job that usually comes without glory.”
The glory comes in the shutouts and the victories. And it would also come in the form of the program’s first district championship in seven years, which the Bulldogs will go after next week in Excelsior Springs.
Sports writer Chris Geinosky can be reached at 389-6654 or cgeinosky@npgco.com.