Paola’s Logan Taylor heads the ball right before Louisburg’s Stephen McTeer can get to it while Jamison Parkhill (13) looks on during Tuesday’s action at Lewis-Young Park. The Wildcats won 2-0
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McTeer ices win with penalty kick
Louisburg takes advantage of hand ball with goal on pentalty kick
in home victory against Paola
By Andy Brown, andybrown@miconews.com
Pretty soon, Louisburg’s Stephen McTeer is just going to be known as PK, mainly because McTeer never misses a penalty kick.
Late in Louisburg’s game with Paola on Tuesday at Lewis-Young Park, the Panthers were called for a hand ball in the box, and Louisburg coach Ben York had to make a decision on who was going to take the penalty kick. It was a pretty quick one.
York chose McTeer, and he didn’t disappoint. He scored his second goal of the night in the 2-0 win over Paola and helped calm the nerves on the Wildcat sidelines.
“Penalty kicks are my thing,” McTeer said. “I love practicing them, and I take most of the PK’s in games. I didn’t get one at all last year, and this year I have had a couple, and I can’t seem to miss. I love them.”
Before that goal, however, the Wildcats (5-2) were clinging to a one-goal lead against a pesky Panther team. It was the same type of game with the two rival schools — physical and played with lots of emotion.
Two yellow cards were given in the contest, but the difference in the game, obviously, was the play of McTeer. The Louisburg junior scored a goal in the ninth minute, and the Wildcats never looked back.
“Stephen is great at penalty kicks, but he is a calm, heady player for us,” York said. “He is fundamentally sound and is always in the right spots. He really had a great game for us and came up big.”
The Wildcats’ win was overshadowed with the play of the Panther defense, especially goalkeeper Wil Cunningham. The Paola senior had numerous saves in the game, including several diving ones that followed McTeer’s penalty kick to prevent the game for getting more out of hand.
Along with the defense of Derek Butters and Chad Brown, the Panthers helped subdue a potent Wildcat offense.
“Wil played excellent in goal the second half. He made some great saves that kept the game close,” Paola coach Matt Higgins said. “When we gave up the PK because of the hand ball in the box, my team lost a lot of energy on defense. I think it was both fatigue from playing a physical game and frustration from trying to get the equalizer and not succeeding.”
The Wildcats controlled possession for most of the game and kept the Panther defense on its heels for most of the night. Louisburg kept Cunningham busy, but the Wildcats had trouble connecting with the back of the net.
But after a loss to Ottawa last week and one to De Soto earlier in the season, York will take the win.
“A win is a win, and it is definitely good for us after the way we have played lately,” York said. “We did some good things, but Paola has a solid team, and the games are never blowouts between the two of us, and they always put up a fight. But our guys did play well.”
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Late in Louisburg’s game with Paola on Tuesday at Lewis-Young Park, the Panthers were called for a hand ball in the box, and Louisburg coach Ben York had to make a decision on who was going to take the penalty kick. It was a pretty quick one.
York chose McTeer, and he didn’t disappoint. He scored his second goal of the night in the 2-0 win over Paola and helped calm the nerves on the Wildcat sidelines.
“Penalty kicks are my thing,” McTeer said. “I love practicing them, and I take most of the PK’s in games. I didn’t get one at all last year, and this year I have had a couple, and I can’t seem to miss. I love them.”
Before that goal, however, the Wildcats (5-2) were clinging to a one-goal lead against a pesky Panther team. It was the same type of game with the two rival schools — physical and played with lots of emotion.
Two yellow cards were given in the contest, but the difference in the game, obviously, was the play of McTeer. The Louisburg junior scored a goal in the ninth minute, and the Wildcats never looked back.
“Stephen is great at penalty kicks, but he is a calm, heady player for us,” York said. “He is fundamentally sound and is always in the right spots. He really had a great game for us and came up big.”
The Wildcats’ win was overshadowed with the play of the Panther defense, especially goalkeeper Wil Cunningham. The Paola senior had numerous saves in the game, including several diving ones that followed McTeer’s penalty kick to prevent the game for getting more out of hand.
Along with the defense of Derek Butters and Chad Brown, the Panthers helped subdue a potent Wildcat offense.
“Wil played excellent in goal the second half. He made some great saves that kept the game close,” Paola coach Matt Higgins said. “When we gave up the PK because of the hand ball in the box, my team lost a lot of energy on defense. I think it was both fatigue from playing a physical game and frustration from trying to get the equalizer and not succeeding.”
The Wildcats controlled possession for most of the game and kept the Panther defense on its heels for most of the night. Louisburg kept Cunningham busy, but the Wildcats had trouble connecting with the back of the net.
But after a loss to Ottawa last week and one to De Soto earlier in the season, York will take the win.
“A win is a win, and it is definitely good for us after the way we have played lately,” York said. “We did some good things, but Paola has a solid team, and the games are never blowouts between the two of us, and they always put up a fight. But our guys did play well.”