Strong start lifts Lions to first regional win since 2012

Lawrence High senior Cole Brungardt (23) is hugged by teammates after scoring a first half goal while Wyandotte's Angel Payan (5) watches during their first round regional soccer match Tuesday evening at Wyandotte.

? The Lawrence High boys soccer team knew the importance of getting off to a strong start in Tuesday’s regional match at Kansas City (Kan.) Wyandotte.

The Lions did just that, scoring a trio of first-half goals, en route to a 3-1 victory over the Bulldogs. It marked the team’s first playoff win since 2012.

“We haven’t got a win in the first round in a couple years,” LHS coach Mike Murphy said. “So that was important to us. We were playing on the road on a narrow field. I thought the first half we came out with good energy and had a good plan of attack.”

A strong start was one of the key reasons that Lawrence wished to host the first-round playoff match. Particularly just being familiar with the field.

However, due to a lost coin flip on Saturday, LHS was forced to travel in its first postseason match. As a result, the team had no idea what to expect when it arrived at Wyandotte’s football field.

“It was nice that it was a turf field,” Murphy said. “We weren’t sure what we were going to get. We actually had to call and ask. Because that affects our preparation on Monday. We were glad it was on turf, that plays to our speed.”

The speed was evident early as LHS dominated the possession and the scoreboard in the first half. Senior forward Cain Scott scored the first of three goals in the seventh minute of action.

Senior Ebrahim Diagne was shoved to the ground by a Wyandotte defender, allowing Scott a free kick from the 37-yard line. Scott took a moment to read the defense, before delivering a strike to the top left-corner of the goal.

“When he’s shooting, there is always a pretty good chance it’s going in,” senior defender DJ Davis said.

Scott was mobbed by his teammates, getting lifted up in the air in an abbreviated celebration for the senior’s 17th goal of the season. Scott etched his name into the school’s modern-era record books with 16 regular-season goals, tying Robert Lyan who netted 16 goals in 2012. Lyan also scored a pair of postseason goals in the team’s run to the state quarterfinals.

In the 27th minute, the eighth-seeded Bulldogs (8-8-1) deflected the ball into their own goal on a pass from the sideline by LHS junior Dario Ramirez, who was credited with the goal.

LHS then took a 3-0 lead into the intermission as senior Cole Brungardt scored with 4:19 left on a corner kick from senior Parker King. The Lions outshot the Bulldogs in the first half, 9-3.

“We knew that we wanted to come out strong,” Davis said. “All season we had done that in the big games. We were surprised we didn’t score more early. Once we got the first one down we knew we had this.”

But the second half showing left a lot to be desired for Murphy. Wyandotte controlled much of the possession in the final 40 minutes, taking more shots.

The lone score came with 37:15 remaining, as Wyandotte sophomore Ro Thang scored on a breakaway and shooting past Lawrence’s senior goalkeeper Apramay Mishra.

“In the playoffs the other team knows it’s do-or-die,” Davis said. “For us we knew it wasn’t really like that. The biggest difference was their attitude toward it.”

Mishra did make a couple saves in the second half while the defensive line of Davis, King and senior Charlie Carr did enough to help keep the Bulldogs at bay.

“I was proud of our guys for keeping their composure,” Murphy said. “We kind of weathered the storm. We did a good job of holding them out until they ran out of energy.”

Ninth-seeded Lawrence (9-7-1) will travel to top-seeded Olathe East (16-1) at 7 p.m. Thursday at College Boulevard Activity Center.