From 2008 to 2011, Kansas City Christian’s boys soccer team enjoyed an unparalleled run of success in its program history, capturing Class 4-1A state championships on each end of that stretch.
 
In compiling a 34-15-2 record over the past three seasons, the Panthers have come close to rivaling that period, merely lacking a state championship to punctuate their success. The sticking point has been the same each of the past three falls.
 
Bishop Miege.
 
In capturing the last three of its current seven straight Class 4-1A state championships, Miege has ended KC Christian’s season. In 2020, it was a 2-1 loss in regionals. The past two years, the losses came in the state quarterfinals – 8-0 in 2021 and 2-1 last fall.
 
“There’s a psychological factor that’s haunted us the past few times we’ve played them,” KC Christian coach Nate Wright said. “I’m not sure we had that belief that we could beat them.”
 
The Panthers believe now.
 
On Tuesday night, KC Christian took out years worth of frustration against the Stags, coming away with a 3-0 victory. It was only the third loss this season for Miege and a rare loss by the program to a school Class 4A or below during its recent run of dominance.
 
Needless to say, it was a monstrous win for KC Christian, in more ways than just running the Panthers’ season record to 8-0-1.
 
“It’s a big one,” Wright said. “It’s big in the sense that we were able to beat a team that was a big challenge to our guys and pushed us. It’s obviously a big deal for the guys to know that they can beat Miege because we know if we’re going to do anything in the playoffs, we’re going to have to go through them.”
 
Wright has been quick to keep his players from getting too emotionally high after the upset and long-awaited victory while at the same time not taking away from the magnitude of their accomplishment.
 
Midway through the first half of Tuesday’s game, Miege’s goalkeeper was hit with a red card after coming out of the box to stop a breakaway by Panther forward Vanya Kalynovskyi. Kalynovskyi had touched the ball ahead and was steaming toward an empty net before getting taken out.
 
The automatic red card forced the Stags to play the remainder of the game with only 10 players on the pitch.
 
“Miege was still dominating possessions and moments even with 10 men,” Wright said. “I think my guys know in the back of their head that while yes, they played really well, Miege will look different with 11 guys for 80 minutes. It’s almost like we shut the dog’s tail in the door and next time we see them it will be a very different game.
 
“I want to slowly introduce that reality to our guys without diminishing the next 48 hours and what they accomplished.”
 
While the red card certainly hampered Miege’s efforts the rest of the way, KC Christian already had taken a 1-0 lead on a free kick by senior standout Isaiah Morris in the 15^th minute. Morris added a second goal in the second half and Chris Kammer tacked on a third goal for the final margin.
 
For Morris, the two goals give him 99 in his stellar career, putting him just two away from the state record of 101 career goals, set by McPherson’s Andric McGill from 2013-16, according to the state records compiled by the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame.
 
Morris also has 220 career points, just 11 shy of the state record of 231 set by Maranatha’s Jon Lemmon from 2000-03.
 
“Isaiah gave us a ton of energy and what it does – when you play somebody like Miege, everyone’s tense, doesn’t want to make a mistake – and that first goal takes the pressure off for everybody,” Wright said. “Even Isaiah in the warm-up didn’t necessarily look like himself and ready to rock and that goal released his confidence as well.”
 
KC Christian’s defense also did the job with senior keeper Hunter Rush, getting the clean sheet in goal.
 
“He just really steps up when it comes to the big moments,” Wright said. “He did not give a single rebound. It was like he had glue on his glove.”
 
Rush was the Panthers’ starting keeper last year, but had given way in goal to Micah Knernschield for much of the early season. But Knernschield had his head stepped on in a game against Bishop Ward a little over a week ago and has been lost for the season with a broken jaw.
 
No matter who is in goal, KC Christian has been stellar defensively. The Panthers have given up just four goals this season and the shutout of Miege was their fifth of the year.
 
Coming off a 14-5 season a year ago, Wright felt this year’s Panther team was one that had all the pieces to make a run at the program’s first state title since 2011. KC Christian has plenty of experience with seven seniors but also has plenty of depth across the board, a factor Wright said is as big as anything.
 
“From the players’ perspective they see this as this is the year we can win state,” he said. “From a coaching perspective, this is far and away not just the best roster I’ve had but the deepest. When I have a good player go down with an injury or cramp I can put guys in and the quality drop-off on the field is not huge.”
 
KC Christian tied Elyria Christian 1-1 to open the season before running off eight straight wins. While a 1-0 overtime win over Kaw Valley Conference rival Bishop Ward sticks out on paper as a huge victory, Wright said it was the next contest – a 6-1 win over Eudora – that was perhaps even bigger.
 
“That was more of a turning point for us,” Wright said. “Miege played them in late August and only beat them 2-1. We went out against Eudora thinking that would be our first big test of the season and we just dominated them. It’s the best game we played this year. That’s the one that kind of ratcheted it up for us.”
 
 
OTHER SOCCER STANDOUTS
 

• Washburn Rural improved to 8-0 overall and wrapped up the Centennial League title with wins over Emporia and Manhattan last week. The Junior Blues edged Emporia 1-0 on a goal by Devon Rutschmann. Rutschmann added another goal in the win over Manhattan giving him six straight games with a goal and 12 on the season. Rural will travel to the highly competitive Great River Classic in Bettendorf, Iowa, this weekend, starting with a Thursday game against Barrington (Ill.)
• The 1-0 overtime loss to KC Christian is the only defeat Bishop Ward has suffered this season. The Cyclones are 6-1 overall.
• Piper is undefeated in United Kansas Conference play after sweeping Seaman, Topeka West and Shawnee Heights in a three-game stretch from Sept. 19-26. The Pirates posted shutouts in all three of those wins and have run off four straight shutouts and six overall this season in an 7-1 start – the lone loss coming to Class 6A Blue Valley North.
• Maur Hill-Mt. Academy is 6-2-1 this season with its losses coming to Piper and Ward and the tie with Hayden.