Leawood Forest Survives Real Overland Park Scare to Advance in State Cup

By Tim Burr, ForestBeat

KANSAS CITY, KS — Leawood Forest found themselves in a familiar matchup on Sunday evening, facing Real Overland Park for the second time in just over a week. The venue was different — Compass Minerals Fields near Legends — but the stakes were higher: the opening round of the Kansas State Cup.

11 Omar Sanyang scored a hat trick

Fresh off a dominant 6-0 victory over Real OP in league play, Forest entered the match with confidence. And early on, it looked like another rout was in the works. Omar Sanyang, who missed last wee's match, notching two first-half goals — the second a clinical finish that had Forest fans thinking about the semifinal already.

But Real Overland Park, stung by last week’s embarrassment, responded with grit. Just before the halftime whistle, they broke through Forest’s back line and put one past the keeper, cutting the lead to 2-1. That goal shifted the tone of the match.

The second half saw Forest playing with less control, and Real OP took advantage. A defensive lapse allowed the equalizer, and suddenly what had seemed like a cruise became a battle of nerves and endurance in the late-spring humidity.

With penalty kicks looming, Forest found the spark they needed. In the 85th minute, midfielder John Edward carved through Real’s right side, delivering a low cross into the path of Sanyang, who made no mistake from close range. The goal — Sanyang’s hat trick — proved to be the winner in a tense 3-2 victory.

The win marks Leawood Forest’s third straight result and books their place in tonight’s Kansas State Cup semifinal against a formidable Olathe United side. Forest will be eager to avenge their 5-2 league loss to United earlier this season — a match played in difficult, gusty conditions.

The semifinal kicks off at 6 p.m. tonight, alongside the other final-four clash between Woodland FC and Northland FC. The winners will meet in next Saturday’s State Cup final.

Kickoff is coming fast. Forest’s momentum is real — but against Olathe, they’ll need every bit of it.