BY JIM MISUNAS
jmisunas@gbtribune.com
Despite storm clouds, Mother Nature smiled on Great Bend’s odds for upsetting Western Athletic Conference soccer powerhouse Dodge City.
A brisk 25 mph southerly wind switched to the northwest at 25 mph after halftime, giving the Panthers a sizeable advantage to put the Red Demons on upset alert for 70 minutes at Cavanaugh Field. The game started with 92 degree heat and cooled 15 degrees when a cold front passed through.
The perennial WAC champions escaped with a hard-earned 2-1 victory over the Panthers on Erubiel Duron’s breakaway goal at the 7:51 mark in the second overtime. Great Bend played the final 16 minutes with 10 players after a red card was handed out to the Panthers for back-to-back yellow cards.
The Red Demons barely missed the game-winner when Lopez missed wide on an open net with 1:40 left in the first overtime.
The Panthers (3-5, 2-2 WAC) played the best soccer in coach Jesus Loera’s tenure, outplaying the Red Demons at times while playing a one-touch ball possession game to perfection. The Panthers battled every pass and every possession with fearless play against a state-ranked team.
“It’s our best game by a longshot, the best game since I’ve coached here,” Loera said. “We stuck to our game plan and had our opportunities. We’re extremely proud of our guys to play with 10 men out there. We will build confidence from a quality game like this. If we play like we want, we can compete with anybody.”
Dodge City, the 6A state soccer champion in 2016, (9-0, 4-0) stretched their WAC league winning streak to 28 consecutive wins. The Red Demons showed a quick-strike attack in transition.
“Dodge City challenged us and played hard all the way through,” Loera said. “They’re a well-organized team. We knew it’d be a tough game.”
The Panthers midfielders performed their job and kept the ball moving.
“Our attack was really good and we kept ball possession with confidence,” Loera said. “The more we maintain possession and create plays, the more opportunities that presents. We did a much better job against a high-pressure team. We put ourselves in position to score.”
Loera was pleased with the Panthers’ overall conduct except for the back-to-back fouls which caused a red card.
“We need to stay composed in high pressure moments,” he said.
The Panthers truly believed they’d pull off a miraculous upset when a potential game-winning penalty kick by Dodge City standout Alan Lopez rang off the crossbar with 3:50 left in regulation time. The Red Demons clanked several shots off the crossbar and Panther goalie Alberto Leyva performed magic with several diving saves.
Leyva turned back a rocket shot by Lopez and turned back another opportunity by Diego OIivares.
Great Bend dominated the game early in the game, keyed by the gusty south wind that helped the Panthers.
Dodge City’s Lopez passed to Diego Olivares for the Red Demons’ first goal on a free kick after a Panther foul at the 19:26 mark of the first half.
A potential goal by Panther Chiny Sanchez was nullified on an offside call, but Panther Oscar Martinez scored a tying goal at the 32:31 mark of the second half.
Earlier, Panther Dani Franco hit the crossbar with a shot and several shots missed wide.
Great Bend’s backline defense helped goalie Leyva on several occasions. Junior Franco and Angel Razo cleared the soccer ball several times when Leyva was in jeopardy. Razo’s best save when he cleared the ball in front of the goal with 5:30 left in regulation.
