Butler soccer knocked off the last unbeaten team in the Jayhawk East on Saturday night, as the sixth-ranked Grizzlies scored two second-half goals to beat Coffeyville 3-1 at BG Products Veterans Sports Complex.
Sophomore defender Sandra Thiman broke a 1-1 tie in the 54th minute when she headed in a Maizi Garwood corner kick in the 54th minute, then freshman forward Karter Corini added an insurance goal in the 82nd minute on a wild 35-yard shot from the far sideline.
With the win, Butler (7-2-0 overall, 3-1-0 conference) moves into first place in the East standings by a half-game over Kansas City Kansas, Coffeyville and Cowley.
The contest was delayed for nearly 25 minutes after an injury to Coffeyvile forward Christine Kitaru Kagonya. Just over three minutes into the second half, Kagnoya was whistled offsides after receiving pass on a breakaway. Kagonya shot the ball into the net, but was immediately upended in a collison with Butler keeper Angie Ojeda and suffered an apparent broken leg in the process.
Just over six minutes following the injury to Kognoya, Butler went ahead on Thiman's header, as Garwood's corner kick went directly into the top-middle of the 6-yard box. Thiman then headed the ball into the left side of the goal for her team-high fourth goal of the season.
Corini's goal was set up on a punt by Ojeda near midfield to Pricsila Bonilla, who dribbled forward 20 yards before sending a pass upfield to towards the left corner. Corini gained possession and on her second touch from the corner - about eight yards from the end line - hit a left-footed shot that hit the top of the crossbar and landed into the goal.
Butler scored the opening goal of the game just 4:30 into the contest after a poor Coffeyville clearance on a Thiman header into the Grizzly attack zone. With the ball bouncing inside the left side of the 18-yard box, Ravens forward Isabelle Attenborough tried to clear the ball out of the area, but instead hit it directly to Rachel Wolecki, who drilled a 20-yard shot into the left side of the goal.
Coffeyville quickly answered five minutes later on an equalizer from Louise Atkinson, getting an assist from Ashley Talley and Kagonya. With the ball pushed ahead to the right side, Kagonya passed back to a centering Talley, who slotted a one-touch pass forward to Atkinson. Just beating her defender, Atkinson tapped in a shot past Ojeda for the goal.
Butler outshot Coffeyville 13-8 and won the corner kick battle by a 7-3 margin. Ojeda made two saves in 49 minutes of action, while Grizzly keeper Lexi Winkle played the final 41 minutes and made three saves.
Butler will be back on the road for a 7:00 p.m. contest Wednesday against Neosho County in Chanute. The Grizzlies' next home game will be on Saturday, Sept. 28 against Kansas City Kansas in a 7:00 p.m. match.
NOTES: Butler remains undefeated in the series history with Coffeyville, as the Grizzlies improved to 19-0-0 all-time vs. the Red Ravens. The two-goal margin was the closest contest in the series since a Butler 3-2 home win back on Sept. 8, 2017.
