DRAGONS DROP PHYSICAL BATTLE AT CLOUD COUNTY

The Blue Dragon women's soccer team fell 2-1 on Wednesday in a Jayhawk West road trip to Cloud County. (Bre Rogers/Blue Dragon Sports Information)

September 25, 2019

Hutchinson CC Sports Information

CONCORDIA – For 68 minutes, the Hutchinson Community College women's soccer team had the upper hand in its head-to-back battle for first place in the Jayhawk West with Cloud County.

But the Thunderbirds struck twice in the matter of 6 minutes in the second half and changed the course of the conference title chase at the seasons' mid-point on Wednesday.

Hutchinson dropped a 2-1 decision to Cloud County at the CCCC Soccer Field. The Blue Dragons had their six-game winning streak snapped and falls to 7-2 overall and 5-1 (15 points) in the Jayhawk West. Cloud County improves to 8-2 and takes over sole possession of first place in the Jayhawk West at 6-0 (18 points).

The Blue Dragons took a 1-0 lead in the 14th minute when sophomore Naomi Waithira stole a ball near the sideline, dribbled down the line and hit a sharp-angle shot from the left that bent into the upper-right corner of the goal.

The lead was secure until the middle stages of the second half. The Thunderbirds began to apply pressure and finally snapped Hutchinson's shutout streak at six games when Fatima Leme scored from a Franceile Cupertino assists in the 69th minute to square the match at one.

With 68 scoreless minutes on Wednesday, the Blue Dragons did set a team record for consecutive shutout minutes. The Dragons had amassed 624 minutes without allowing a goal. That surpassed the old mark of 613 minutes set in 2011.

Six minutes later, Cupertino went 1 on 1 and scored past Hutch goalkeeper Chiara Soergel for a 2-1 Thunderbird lead with 25:02 remaining in the second half.

The Blue Dragons were able to muster only two shot attempts in the second half compared to eight in the first half and were outshot 11-10.

Soergel (7-2) allowed just the second and third goals of the season in nine games and racked up seven saves in the contest.

The Blue Dragons will have a week off before opening the second half of the Jayhawk West season next Wednesday against the Barton Cougars at 6 p.m. at the Salthawk Sports Complex.