Kevin Goodwin/Liberty TribuneLiberty High freshman Kaysie Clark, right, keeps the ball away from Park Hill’s Danielle Sandman in Liberty’s 7-2 Class 2 District 16 semifinal win against the Trojans on Monday, May 12, at Park Hill South High.
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Jays clear first hurdle
Panthers score first, but Liberty fights back to win district soccer title
By Kevin Goodwin
The prohibitive favorite had its back against the wall early in the Class 2 District 16 girls soccer championship game.
Down 1-0 to second-seeded Park Hill South just more than 11 minutes into the game, top-seeded Liberty High knew it was in for a battle.
But Blue Jays freshman Shea Groom scored two goals in the next eight minutes, and scored the clincher with just over four minutes remaining in a 5-2 win Tuesday, May 13, at Park Hill South High.
Liberty, 22-1, will play the Class 2 District 15 winner in a sectional contest at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 20, at Blue Springs South High.
“We came out flat, and it’s hard to say that when you win 5-2,” said Liberty coach Tom Rottjakob. “Park Hill South played a great game. They were moving more, and they put us on our toes.”
The Panthers, 13-6-1, served notice early and got a penalty kick opportunity with a Liberty handball in the goalie box. Megan Buri converted for a 1-0 lead in the 12th minute.
“We wanted to play from the front and it was a good start for us,” said Park Hill South coach Joe Toigo. “But Liberty has some special players.”
Shea Groom responded to the wake-up call, scoring on a free kick to tie the game in the 16th minute, then putting Liberty up 2-1 in the 20th minute.
“The (penalty kick) goal made us get into the game more,” Shea Groom said. “It’s a big adrenaline rush when you are down like that.”
The score stayed the same until Kami Groom scored on an assist from Shea Groom in the 72nd minute.
Park Hill South fired right back a minute later, scoring on a goal from Brighid O’Toole. But Shea Groom answered in the 76th minute, and Kaysie Clark scored Liberty’s final goal with 2:39 remaining.
“Shea has the ability to take things over with that speed,” Rottjakob said. “The referee commented that’s she’s like a snake. You never know when she’s going to strike, but you know she’s going to strike. I think that’s a perfect description of her.
“We need to shore some things up defensively and get moving. We weren’t moving offensively tonight and it hurt us at times.”
Sports writer Kevin Goodwin can be reached at 389-6652 or kgoodwin@npgco.com.
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Down 1-0 to second-seeded Park Hill South just more than 11 minutes into the game, top-seeded Liberty High knew it was in for a battle.
But Blue Jays freshman Shea Groom scored two goals in the next eight minutes, and scored the clincher with just over four minutes remaining in a 5-2 win Tuesday, May 13, at Park Hill South High.
Liberty, 22-1, will play the Class 2 District 15 winner in a sectional contest at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 20, at Blue Springs South High.
“We came out flat, and it’s hard to say that when you win 5-2,” said Liberty coach Tom Rottjakob. “Park Hill South played a great game. They were moving more, and they put us on our toes.”
The Panthers, 13-6-1, served notice early and got a penalty kick opportunity with a Liberty handball in the goalie box. Megan Buri converted for a 1-0 lead in the 12th minute.
“We wanted to play from the front and it was a good start for us,” said Park Hill South coach Joe Toigo. “But Liberty has some special players.”
Shea Groom responded to the wake-up call, scoring on a free kick to tie the game in the 16th minute, then putting Liberty up 2-1 in the 20th minute.
“The (penalty kick) goal made us get into the game more,” Shea Groom said. “It’s a big adrenaline rush when you are down like that.”
The score stayed the same until Kami Groom scored on an assist from Shea Groom in the 72nd minute.
Park Hill South fired right back a minute later, scoring on a goal from Brighid O’Toole. But Shea Groom answered in the 76th minute, and Kaysie Clark scored Liberty’s final goal with 2:39 remaining.
“Shea has the ability to take things over with that speed,” Rottjakob said. “The referee commented that’s she’s like a snake. You never know when she’s going to strike, but you know she’s going to strike. I think that’s a perfect description of her.
“We need to shore some things up defensively and get moving. We weren’t moving offensively tonight and it hurt us at times.”
Sports writer Kevin Goodwin can be reached at 389-6652 or kgoodwin@npgco.com.