Wampus Cats advance, Lady Cats fall to DeRidder
Published 2:22 pm Thursday, February 3, 2022
- Leesville’s Wyatt McShan (10) attempts to get the ball up the field during the Wampus Cats’ 3-0 win Monday night over the Grant Cougars. (Special to the Leesville Leader)
BWS Sports
FORT POLK — Both the Leesville Wampus Cats and Leesville Lady Cat soccer teams opened the Division III state playoffs on Tuesday evening at Fort Polk’s Anvil Field.
However, it would be a mixed bag of results for the teams.
The ninth-seeded Wampus Cats won for the 16th time this season, getting a goal each from Will McShan and freshman Taj Jackson as they knocked off No. 24 Lutcher, 2-0.
However, the Lady Cats couldn’t muster much offense as No. 21 Leesville fell to No. 12 and rival DeRidder, 1-0.
The boys’ matchup opened the playoff doubleheader and about 15 minutes into the first half, the Wampus Cats found their way into the scoring column thanks to a goal from veteran Wampus Cat, McShan.
The Wampus Cats sealed the game in the second half when Jackson scored off a feed from Alvaro Chicharro for a 2-0 advantage about midway through the final 40 minutes.
With the win, the Wampus Cats now take to the road to play eighth-ranked St. Michael the Archangel out of the Baton Rouge area. That match must be played by no later than Sunday, Feb. 6.
As for the Lady Cats, their season came to an end with a 1-0 loss to DeRidder in a well-played defensive battle. Just about one week before, the two teams had battled to a 0-0 tie in a district contest.
