Panthers’ tandem sparks victory
BY JIM MISUNAS
jmisunas@gbtribune.com
On Senior Night, Great Bend’s soccer team shed tears of joy for success and tears that they would never play another home game.
The Panthers’ superb tandem of Arely Reyes and Yulisa Valdez each scored two goals to spark the Panthers past Wichita Southeast 4-0 Tuesday at Cavanaugh Field.
“The girls were so happy, and they were so sad, they are crying,” said Great Bend soccer coach Margarita Ayala. “We needed a win. They showed how well they were capable of playing. They showed a lot of effort tonight. They showed they can do more than think they can. lt’s been a tough season. We’ve had injuries and players missing games.”
The Panthers (3-10) snapped a nine-game losing streak dating back to a 3-1 victory over Hays Thomas More Prep March 31. Seniors playing their final home game were Crystal Hernandez, Reyes, Valdez, Casanda Enriguez and Joselin Pando.
It was a dream finish for the Panthers on a chilly 52-degree night with a 10 mph east wind.
Reyes and Valdez worked together and enjoyed strong finishes that led to four goals. Center midfielder Pando was the unsung hero with accurate passing that ignited the Panthers’ offense.
Valdez was a magician, weaving past Buffalo defenders. She fed a perfect pass to Reyes (4:00) for the first goal. Reyes worked free for a nifty goal (6:34) past Buffalo goalie Jessica Martinez. A Valdez blast made it 3-0 (14:00).
The Buffaloes tightened as back-line players Jessica Methman, Han Ho and Cameron Le delivered goal-saving defensive plays.
Valdez created shot-after-shot after halftime before finally powering a shot past back-up goalie Ximena De Loera (59:08) for a 4-0 finale.
Smiles were everywhere for the Panthers.
The Panthers roared with joy when goalie Casandra Enriquez played on the offensive side. They roared again when back-up goalie Cheyenne Roach made a Panther save.
Great Bend plays at 6A powerhouse Manhattan Monday.
