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GBHS girls soccer team tops Hays without four starters
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Great Bends Kaylee Kerschner (21) fights for a loose ball with Hays Kaitlin Gulley during the game at Cavanaugh Field on Tuesday. - photo by Kevin Price Great Bend Tribune

Coming off of a one-goal loss to Dodge City High School on Monday, the Great Bend girls’ soccer team was able to pull out a one-goal victory over another Western Athletic Conference foe on Tuesday at Cavanaugh Field.
The Lady Panthers’ Kaylee Kerschner scored late in the second half to give them a 1-0 win over Hays.
“We played very well in the first half,” Great Bend head coach Gus Prieto said. “We controlled the ball. In the second half, I told them that we just need one goal. That’s enough. I think my team played good. They are playing better as a team.”
GBHS improves to 4-2-1 this season with a WAC record of 2-1-1. Hays falls to 4-3-1, 1-2.
With only 12:32 remaining in regulation, junior midfielder Brandi Schneider got a pass to Kerschner who broke past the Hays defense. Kerschner dribbled to the left of the goal and shot the ball.
Kerschner’s shot was nearly blocked by the Hays goalkeeper, but it slid between her legs and spun into the goal.
“I took a lot of shots in the game,” Kerschner said. “I was just really hoping that one got in, and she didn’t close her legs.”
Hays’ best chance at a goal came 30 seconds after the Lady Panthers’ goal when Megan Bird got a strong shot on goal, but GBHS goalie Stephanie Lomas was there to make the stop.
“Our goalie’s really good,” Prieto said. “She started the season a little nervous, but she is doing better every game. You can see her skills now. She broke one really good shot. I’m not sure if it was in or not but she blocked it.”
The Lady Panthers were playing down a few players with three missing the game due to a one-game mandatory suspension resulting from the red card received after an altercation in Dodge City. Prieto said that he wasn’t sure when the three players will play again.
Another player was out because of injury.
“We missed four starters today,” Prieto said. “We needed to bring up some JV players and we had to switch some positions. We had four or five new players playing on varsity today, but I think they played good.”
As for the brawl in Dodge City that caused three Great Bend players to recieve red cards, Prieto said that his team was provoked.
“We were losing 3-0 and they were playing really rough,” Prieto said. “They were physical and they bumped a lot. We had the ball in their box and one of their defenders push her. It was a (penalty kick) if they had called it.
“Then after that play, they kicked the ball and we got it back. Summer got the ball and they ended up on the ground and a foul was called. That’s OK, but one of the other Dodge City girls punched my player in the face, and then it started. That’s what happened.”