The Great Bend High School boys’ soccer team missed a shutout of Western Athletic Conference foe Garden City by one minute, 14 seconds.
That was how much time was left on the clock when Garden City’s Eleasar Becerra broke through for a long shot that got past Panthers goalkeeper Claudio Sanchez. Sanchez replaced senior goalie Ramon Garcia with less than 20 minutes remaining in the game.
The Panthers stretched their winning streak to 11 games with a 4-1 win at Cavanaugh Field on Thursday.
Great Bend impoved to 11-1 overall, 5-1 WAC.
“It is really hard to play in weather like this,” GBHS head coach Gus Prieto said of the 35 mph wind gusts. “I told my team that we had to defend really well in the first half, and push all together. We couldn’t give up a goal in the first half, because I knew it would be easier playing with the wind.”
The wind didn’t seem to bother the Panthers offense, which scored two goals going against it in the first half, and two in the second half, with the wind at their backs.
Oscar Torres scored the first goal for GBHS, receiving a short pass after a corner kick and dribbling into the box. He shot a fast, low strike to the far corner to score his 14th goal of the season.
Carlos Nieto holds the Great Bend record for most goals in a single season with 19, set in 2004.
With 8:54 remaining in the first half, Alexander Urias scored the second GBHS goal with an assist from Noel Rodriguez.
Rodriguez scored his own goal in the second half. He got the ball inside the penalty box and his first shot ricocheted off of a Buffaloes defender. His second-chance shot found the back of the net.
“It isn’t about me,” Rodriguez said. “It’s about the team. When one of us scores, it’s the whole team scoring.”
Urias scored his second goal of the night on another Rodriguez assist.
Rodriguez sent a pass over the Garden City defense. Urias ran it down and got a knee on the ball to send it just over the Garden City goalkeeper’s head.