Story by Wyatt Ebersole
Johnson County didn't make it easy on the Grizzlies, but the Butler Soccer team put together an impressive offensive showing, winning 4-2 in this Jayhawk Conference rivalry match.
"In this rivalry we have with Johnson, you never take any of these wins for granted," said Head Coach Adam Hunter after the game.
The win extends the Grizzlies winning streak to six games, improving their overall record to 13-2-1 overall and 9-0-1 in conference play.
The Grizzlies once again got an early lead as Emma Kolbe knocked in a loose ball that got away from the Johnson County goalkeeper in the 9th minute to get things started for Butler and marking the fourth straight game where Butler has scored a goal in the first ten minutes of play. Neither team scored the rest of the half, but both sides came out hungry for goals in the second 45 of the match. Joy Ngibuini scored the second Grizzly goal as she punched a ball in off a corner kick from Brooklyn Hunter in the 47th minute. Johnson responded on their very next attack just 30 seconds later to cut their deficit back to one. Kenzee Godwin bumped the Grizzly lead back to two in the 51st minute with a sensational ball that she rifled over the Johnson keeper to make it 3-1 in favor of the Grizzlies. Maddie Bowman would score on a header to effectively put the game out of reach on another corner kick assist from Hunter. Johnson scored in the 78th minute to make it 4-2, but that was all the Grizzlies would allow.
Looking ahead, Butler travels to Coffeyville on Wednesday to face the Red Ravens on Wednesday at 6:00PM. The only team in the KJCCC who has not lost to the Grizzlies this season as they tied in the first matchup in El Dorado a few weeks back.
Coach Hunter said of the upcoming game, "Coffeyville is one of the hardest places to play in our league and they're a very athletic team that defends well. I told the girls that it's definitely going to be a difficult game."
NOTES: Coach Adam Hunter is now 29-10-1 all-time against Johnson…Butler has won 4 straight games against Johnson and 5 of the last 6…Brooklyn Hunter has 17 assists this season which leads the NJCAA…
