Sure it may be a soccer team that the Great Bend High School Panthers sees twice a year, but tonight’s matchup at Cavanaugh Field will be anything but a regular-season game.
GBHS hosts Western Athletic Conference foe Liberal in a Class 5A state quarterfinal game, starting at 6.
This season’s first meeting between the two teams was back on Aug. 30.
The defending state-champion Redskins fell 3-0 to the Panthers at Cavanaugh Field in Great Bend.
On Oct. 15, Great Bend traveled to Liberal and came away with a 1-0 triumph.
The Redskins (9-8-1) started the postseason with another WAC opponent — Hays.
Liberal shut down the Indians 2-0 to challenge No. 1-seeded Salina Central for a regional championship.
The Redskins won that game 2-1, scoring in the second overtime period to advance to tonight’s game.
With the elimination of bouth Salina Central and No. 2 seed Bishop Carroll, which lost 1-0 in penalty kicks to Newton, Great Bend has emerged as the highest seed remaining in the South Central quarterfinal games.
The Panthers (14-4) dismantled Goddard-Eisenhower in a semifinal game in regional play, 7-1.
They beat Maize South 3-1 on Thursday to move on.
Kapaun Mt. Carmel (13-5) hosts Newton (11-6-1) in the other South Central quarterfinal game tonight.