WICHITA — The Great Bend High School soccer team opened the Titans Classic on Monday with a victory over Circle (Towanda).
The Panthers pounced on the Thunderbirds, scoring early on their way to a 7-2 win.
The win evens Great Bend’s record to 1-1.
Panthers head coach Gus Prieto said that even though the score suggests a dominant performance, it was a learning experience as well.
“It was good,” Gus Prieto said. “You need to have a game like this some times. It allows you to try some new things, but I didn’t like how they scored.”
 It was the amount of shots that each team took that concerned Gus Prieto.
The Thunderbirds scored on two of their three shots on goal, according to Gus Prieto, while the Panthers took near 50 shots and scored seven goals.
“We need to work a little more on finishing every play,” Gus Prieto said. “When you push a lot and only score a few times, and they push once or twice and score, there is something wrong.”
The Panthers jumped ahead 3-0 by the end of the first half.
Michael Prieto, Oscar Torres and Ivan Galindo all found the net in the first 40 minutes.
Noel Rodriguez and Mario Espino started the scoring in the second half, which saw the Thunderbirds score their two goals as well.
Torres concluded the scoring by driving in a pair of goals in the second half, giving him his first hat trick of the season.
The Panthers will be back in action tonight at 6 against Mulvane in the second round of the Titans Classic.