Eisenhower girls soccer coach Roger Downing went out on a bit of a limb at the start of the season, replacing his graduation-ravaged defensive corps with players who, in his own words, “weren’t defenders by trade.”
 
And in their opener, the Tigers saw a two-goal lead vanish in the final 14 minutes of a 3-2 loss to Maize South.
 
So when Eisenhower faced the Mavericks again Monday in the Class 5A state quarterfinals and watched Maize South cut a 2-0 deficit in half on forward Sydney Hansen’s goal in the 71^st minute, an eerie flashback would have seemed logical.
 
But that early-season decision by Downing has long paid dividends. The Tigers made their lead stand, then came back two days later to defeat Blue Valley Southwest 3-1 and advance to their first state championship game.
 

Eisenhower, winner of 19 consecutive matches, will play 20-time state champion St. Thomas Aquinas for the 5A championship Saturday at Wichita’s Stryker Sports Complex.
 
“It was kind of a rebuilding thing and they’ve jelled together all year, and honestly sacrificed because I’ve got two of my better players sitting in the back,” Downing said. “They put the team before themselves to make us the best we could be all year.”
 
Downing stationed junior Kaeleigh Shamburger and sophomore Dani Smith at the center-back positions, flanking them with sophomore Jackey Twietmeyer and Sloane Wurbs. That quartet, playing in front of junior goalkeeper Jules Elliott, quickly evolved into a force for the Tigers, who have yielded just seven goals since that opening loss.
 
“We have a lot more team chemistry now,” said senior midfielder Reagan Best, whose 17 assists have fueled a balanced offense. “In the beginning we had a lot of new players and didn’t know how they played. Now we’re all very confident with each other. We know what our teammates are going to do.”
 
And if they’re uncertain, Shamburger and Smith are quick to speak up. The duo works with Elliott to direct traffic – a partnership that has produced 12 shutouts.
 
They’ve also been among the Tigers’ most effective offensive weapons. While junior Reese Nusser leads the team with 13 goals, Shamburger has 12 and Smith has 10.
 
“I think that they’ve grown a lot together and they’ve learned how to communicate, telling each other when to drop, when to step up,” Best said. “That’s really important.”
 

Downing expected this year’s team to be a work in progress. His initial lineup had eight players who had not played varsity minutes.
 
That youth can dazzle at times, like it did when the Tigers scored 62 seconds into Monday’s quarterfinal victory. Occasionally, it can test the team’s mettle, like it did when Maize South swiped an errant clearance attempt to score its lone goal in the rematch.
 
“I give them freedom to make mistakes and it’s OK,” Downing said. “Just learn from it and be better from it.”
 
Downing believes an 0-1 start to this season wasn’t all bad. The 2025 Tigers took an unbeaten record all the way to the state quarters before falling to Kapaun Mt. Carmel 2-1.
 
“Last year we were 18-0 and I think our nerves hit us tournament time,” Downing said. “I think getting that first loss out of the way helped us get better and realize we’ll be OK.”