It was probably a pretty boring night for Emporia High goalkeeper Melanie Nuessen on Tuesday.
Nuessen did not record a single save in the Emporia High girls soccer team’s season-opening game against Liberal, but that’s only because the Lady Spartans were so fierce on defense that Nuessen never got the chance.
Emporia High blanked Liberal, 4-0, in the opening round of the Titan Classic in Wichita and didn’t even allow Liberal to get off a single shot on goal.
“Our goalkeeper wasn’t really tested tonight,” EHS coach John Decker said. “We did really well defending. We had good communication back there. Liberal had some girls with some speed, but we handled it well, and we started our attack from back there.”
Meanwhile, Emporia (1-0) had no trouble finding the goal, as four different players recorded goals with three different players dishing out assists.
Ashley Leihsing got the scoring started in the 11th minute when she knocked in a shot on an assist from Jessica Decker. But perhaps the biggest news of the night concerning Leihsing happened about 10 minutes later when she suffered a broken left collarbone and had to be taken to the hospital.
“We’re going to miss her,” Decker said, “but we’ve got some girls who can step up for us.”
Kylee McCullough (26th minute) and Danielle Flanagan (39th minute, assist from Lauren Kitchens) each recorded goals in the first half to give Emporia a 3-0 halftime lead. Rachelle VanGundy provided the final score in the 72nd minute on an assist from Elisha Shultz.
Emporia will play Maize in the second round of the Titan Classic on Thursday. Maize defeated Wichita Northwest, 3-0, Tuesday night.
“It’s always nice to start off with a win,” Decker said. “We know it’ll get harder on Thursday, though.”
Emporia High vs Liberal
Titan Classic
Tuesday at Wichita
Emporia 3 1 — 4
Liberal 0 0 — 0
First Half
Emp — Ashley Leihsing (Jessica Decker assist), 10:07
Emp — Kylee McCullough (unassisted), 25:56
Emp — Danielle Flanagan (Lauren Kitchens), 38:21
Second Half
Emp — Rachelle VanGundy (Elisha Schultz) 71:13
Shots on goal — Emporia 22, Liberal 0. Saves — Liberal: 18. Corner kicks — Emporia 10, Liberal 1. Direct kicks — Emporia 7, Liberal 1. Fouls — Emporia 1, Ottawa 7.
Record — Emporia: 1-0.