Falcons power past Panthers 7-3
BY JIM MISUNAS
jmisunas@gbtribune.com
After trailing 4-1, Great Bend’s girls soccer team performed brilliantly against Wichita Heights for more than 35 minutes at Memorial Stadium.
Panther goals by Yulisa Valdez and Joselin Pando sliced a 4-1 deficit into a 4-3 margin by halftime. Yaldez converted a nifty goal with 7:36 left in the first half. Pando blasted a shot past the Falcons’ goalie with 3:13 left in the first half.
The Panthers played their best defensive soccer by holding the Falcons scoreless for 20 minutes of the second half. Heights played the second half behind by a northwest wind gusting past 25 mph bringing the chill index into the 30s. Panther goalie Cassandra Enriquez kept her passes low and her defenders stopped the Falcons’ offense before it got started.
Panther defenders Sage Simon, Katria Kindscher, Joselin Pando and Jazmin Calzada backed up goalie Cassandra Enriquez with solid support.
“We were able to fix the defense after halftime,” said Great Bend coach Margarita Ayala. “When we played those 20 minutes, the girls were doing exactly what we needed. When you keep playing defense like that, you can get tired at some point.”
Unfortunately, the momentum swung back the Falcons’ way when the Panthers were called for a foul inside the penalty box. Heights’ Rebekah Reed converted the penalty kick past Enriguez with 19:03 left in the second half for a 5-3 lead.
Reed’s goal ignited a three-goal burst in the final 19 minutes for a decisive 7-3 victory in the non-league soccer game. Falcon Caiden Duerksen converted the sixth goal and Reed fired a corner kick past goalie Enriquez with 47 seconds left in the game.
Heights led 1-0 when Jilmena Ramirez converted a rebound off Kailyn Jackson’s shot that Enriquez stopped. The athletic Jackson converted a deflected shot for a 2-0 lead.
But Great Bend’s Arely Reyes scored behind the brisk northwest wind for a 2-1 score. Heights was on its way to an easy victory when Rebekah Reed fed Ramirez with a perfect pass for a 3-1 lead. Annie Jolly tipped in a deflection for a 4-1 lead with 15:41 left in the first half despite working into the brisk northwest wind.
But the Panthers took advantage of the northwest breeze with back-to-back goals by Valdez and Pando to give coach Ayala confidence heading to halftime.
“What I like is the effort the girls are giving us,” Ayala said. “They listen to what the coaches are saying and they are disciplined to carry out their job. We’re lacking some skill, but when the girls give us 100 percent effort, we can live with that.”
Ayala said the missed the 2020 spring season makes the freshmen and sophomores newcomers to the varsity level.
“A lot of players are new to us, and we’re working to find their best spots and where they can help us the most.”
Wichita Heights 4 3 – 7
Great Bend 3 0 – 3
FIRST HALF—WH—Jilmena Ramirez (Kailyn Jackson); WH—Jackson; GB—Arely Reyes; WH—Ramirez (Rebekah Reed); WH—Annie Jolly; GB—Yulisa Valdez; GB—Joselin Pando
SECOND HALF—WH—Reed (PK); WH—Caiden Duerksen; WH—Reed
