Great Bend sophomore Mayra Ramirez enjoyed the turf at Memorial Stadium with a four-goal game that sparked the Panthers to a 7-2 opening victory over Wichita Independent Tuesday.
Ramirez played forward and center-midfield to spark the Panthers’ offense.
“Mayra was the player we moved to the center. She showed great improvement during the game,” said Great Bend coach Margarita Ayala.
Also scoring goals for Great Bend were Briana Perez, Elaine Hernandez and Alonda Espino.
Ayala also shifted defenders to slow down Independent’s Emma Lawrance, who scored two first-half goals.
“We switched defenders to get a faster defender on her,” Ayala said.
Ayala said the Panthers shot more than 20 tries on goal.
“We’ve got to work on getting harder shots,” Ayala said. “A lot of our shots were too soft.”
Great Bend (1-0) plays Emporia High at home Monday at Cavanaugh Field.