The Great Bend High School boys’ soccer team finished the regular season on the best of terms.
The Panthers won 5-1 over Wichita Independent at Memorial Stadium on Thursday evening for Senior Night.
“They have a really good record of 12-3,” GBHS head coach Gus Prieto said of Independent. “I was looking around, and they beat Hays 1-0. They have a new team, so we didn’t know what to expect.
“It was a good night. It was senior recognition, so I was happy for that.”
Great Bend recognized 12 seniors — 10 on varsity and two on junior varsity — before the game.
It didn’t take long for Great Bend to take the lead.
Joaquin Garcia got things started for the Panthers, working a give-and-go with Emmanuel Poblano for an open shot on goal.
Rafael Arias drilled in a left-footer to make it 2-0, and Poblano took a long shot that curved into the net to give Great Bend a 3-0 advantage at intermission.
“We just tried to do what we always do, ball position, move the ball around with long passes, short passes everything,” Prieto said. “We had a strong defense and we were able to score.”
Angel Aranda scored next for Great Bend, early in the second half before Wichita Independent capitalized on a rare scoring opportunity to make it 4-1.
Poblano took the ball to the baseline on the right side of the goal, taking a shot that deflected off Independent goalkeeper Jonathan Richmond. Garcia booted in the rebound to make it 5-1.
Great Bend will start the postseason on Tuesday with a record of 6-10. Its opponent has yet to be determined.