The Great Bend High School girls’ soccer team begins its season on the road at the Wichita South Titan Classic on Monday against Haysville Campus at 4 p.m. — weather permitting.
First-year GBHS head coach Gus Prieto said that he believes his team is making some positive strides.
“We’ve been practicing for three weeks,” Prieto said. “I think the team looks good. They like to fight for the ball. It’s good. I think they are a solid team.”
The Lady Panthers lose six seniors from last year’s team, but this year’s team has seven seniors to take on leadership roles.
Chief among them are defender Dariane Marshall, midfielder Rubi Torres and forward Kaylee Kershner, the varsity captains.
“Dariane Marshall is a really strong player for us on defense,” Prieto said. “We have her and Christina Hernandez on defense, and they are both strong players. We should have a good defense this year.”
Rubi Torres is back on the soccer field after taking a break her junior year.
“Rubi is very aggressive,” Prieto said. “She is going to fight a lot for the ball.”
Joining Torres at midfield is Berenice Prieto.
“(Prieto) was on the varsity team last year and she was on a state team last year,” Gus Prieto said of his daughter, who was in an Olympic development program last year. “We are going to be very strong in the midfield this year. We should be able to control the ball in the middle.”
Gus Prieto said that Kaylee Kershner looks to be the main goal producer for the Lady Panthers this year.
“She has a lot of experience,” Prieto said. “She played two years for me on the JV team so I know her skills. She is strong now and she has the skills to score.”
As for this being Prieto’s first season at the helm, he said that most of the girls he is coaching, he has coached before as the junior varsity head coach.
“With most of the girls over the last three years, we’ve played 43 games,” Prieto said. “Of those games, we’ve won 31, lost seven and tied five. Last year, we were 11-0-3. These are the same girls from those teams and we will be playing the same girls that they have been playing for the last three years, so we should be pretty good this year.”

 Great Bend High School
2011 girls soccer schedule
March 28 — At Wichita South Titan Classic
March 30 — At Wichita South Titan Classic
April 2 — At Wichita South Titan Classic
April 5 — LIBERAL, 4 p.m.
April 7 — At Garden City, 4 p.m.
April 11 — At Dodge City, 4 p.m.
April 12 — HAYS, 4 p.m.
April 14 — At Liberal, 4 p.m.
April 25 — At Hays, 4 p.m.
April 28 — DODGE CITY, 4 p.m.
April 29 — At Salina South, 5 p.m.
May 2 — THOMAS MORE PREP-MARIAN, 4 p.m.
May 3 — At Wichita Southeast, 4 p.m.
May 5 — GARDEN CITY, 4 p.m.
May 10 — McPHERSON, 4 p.m.
May 12 — At Junction City, 5 p.m.
— HOME GAMES IN ALL CAPS