MAIZE — The Salina South soccer team’s bid for a third straight Class 5A Final Four appearance ended almost before it began.
The Cougars, seeded sixth in the West bracket, ran into a buzzsaw against top seed Maize South on Monday night, conceding all five goals during a fatal 10-minute stretch of the first half of a 5-0 quarterfinal loss to the Mavericks.
“They got the momentum off of that first goal, and we let one goal become two and three and four,” said South coach Trey Crow, whose Cougars finished with a 13-6 record, including a third straight district championship. “We couldn’t get out of our own way for a while.
“And then once we did, we settled down and we were fine again, but unfortunately five goals down.”
With the victory Maize South improved to 17-1-1 and advances to the state semifinals, where they will play host to East No. 2 seed De Soto on Wednesday. East No. 1 Blue Valley Southwest entertains West No. 2 Newton with the winners meeting for the championship Saturday in Wichita.
Maize South put Salina South’s defense under stress from the start, scoring all of its goals in the first 17 minutes and cruising the rest of the way.
“We felt pretty good coming into it, we just didn’t do what we had to do,” said Salina South senior defender Damon McDonald, a four-year starter and key member of the Cougars’ state semifinal teams the past two seasons. “It seems like they came out really fast and we just kind of played scared at first.”
Maize South took the lead in the seventh minute on a perfect long ball down the center from defender Gavin Wilson to Connor Mucciaccio, who poked it in.
Goals by Aldo Acosta in the 10th and 13th minutes, sandwiched around one by Skylur Staley in the 11th extended the Maverick lead to 4-0. In the 17th minute, Staley jumped on a loose ball in front of the goal off a corner kick to complete the scoring.
“As far as this side of the state, they knock it around about as anyone over here, regardless of class,” Crow said of Maize South. “It’s just one of those things that the experience, I think, is what got us this year.
“They have a lot of returning experience, and we had a lot of guys that were stepping into roles that we just didn’t have the same experience.”
South won its first two playoff games, beating Andover Central at home, 2-1, in overtime, and then claiming the West Region 3 title with a 2-0 upset victory at No. 3 seed Topeka West. It was the Cougars’ third straight regional title.
“It was a pretty good season. I wouldn’t change a thing,” McDonald said. “I’m proud of us, no matter what the score of this game was. I’m proud of my brothers.”
Crow agreed.
“I’m very happy with the season,” he said. “Just for these seniors especially, I wish it had ended a little differently, just because I know how much they worked at it and how hard it is on them, knowing that they won’t ever be back with this team again the way it is.”
In Wednesday’s other West quarterfinal, Newton beat Kapaun Mt.-Carmel 1-0 in overtime, while in the East, Blue Valley Southwest blanked Kansas City Piper 4-0 and De Soto was tied at 3-3 with St. Thomas Aquinas at the end of two overtimes and advanced on penalty kicks, 5-4.
MAIZE SOUTH 5, SALINA SOUTH 0
Salina South 0 0 — 0
Maize South 5 0 — 5
First half — MS: Connor Mucciaccio (Gavin Wilson assist), 7th minute; MS: Aldo Acosta (Skylur Staley), 10th; MS: Staley (Caden Papacek), 11th; MS: Acosta (Bryson Fields), 13th; MS: Staley (unassisted), 17th.
