GARDEN CITY — Garden City’s girls soccer team edged Great Bend 2-1 in Tuesday’s hard-fought Western Athletic Conference game. Garden City won the first meeting 4-0 at Great Bend. The Panthers (3-4, 1-4 WAC) play Hays-Thomas More Prep at 5 p.m. Thursday.
MaKaylee Longoria scored in the ninth minute for her eighth goal. Longoria beat two defenders off the ball and beat goalie Ellis Anspaugh in the right corner.
Great Bend’s Mayra Ramirez scored in the 24th minute, converting a corner kick. The corner kick got behind the defense and Ramirez beat Buffalo keeper Kaylee Keller for a 1-1 halftime tie.
The Buffaloes benefited from a strong wind in the final 40 minutes. Garden City’s offense and wind advantage kept the pressure on the Panthers’ defense. In the 63rd minute, Noeli Munoz converted a corner kick from Elyssa Salazar for a 2-1 game-winner. The Buffaloes outshot Great Bend, 19-4, and executed 12 corner kicks.
Great Bend coach Margarita Ayala said the Panthers passed the ball accurately and low in the wind-blown game at Buffalo Stadium.
“The difference is the girls have improved their passing game. Our better passing helped us a lot,” she said. “We kept the ball low and worked on our passing. The first game we played Garden City, we sent long balls that were hard to chase.”
The Buffaloes (8-2-1, 3-1-1 WAC) were scoreless for the past two games.
WESTERN ATHLETIC GIRLS
Hays High 3-0-1 6-2-1
Garden City 3-1-1 8-2-1
Dodge City 1-2-1 3-6-1
Liberal 1-2-1 2-6-1
Great Bend 1-4 3-4
MONDAY
Hays High 3, Garden City 0
TUESDAY
Garden City 2, Great Bend 1
Liberal 5, Hays-TMP 3
Dodge City 2, Wichita Trinity 0
THURSDAY
Liberal at Hays High
Hays-TMP at Great Bend
HAYS HIGH (3-0-1, 6-2-1)—W Wichita Life; McPherson Tournament (L Topeka 0-1, L Salina South 0-1, W Augusta 3-1); W *Dodge City 1-0; TIE *Liberal 0-0; W Junction City 5-1; W *Great Bend 2-0; W *Garden City 3-0; 4-19—*Liberal; 4-21—at Maize South; 4-23—*at Great Bend; 4-26—Hays-TMP; 4-30—*at Garden City; 5-3—*at Dodge City; 5-10—Wichita Trinity
GARDEN CITY (3-1-1, 8-2-1)—Goddard Tournament (L Goddard 2-3; W Buhler 1-0; W Rose Hill 3-0) W Guymon, Okla. 5-1; W * Great Bend 4-0; W Wichita Trinity 5-0; W *Liberal 1-0; W Hays-TMP 2-0; TIE *Dodge City 0-0; L *Hays High 0-3; W *Great Bend 2-1; 4-20—Wichita North; 4-24—*at Dodge City; 4-30—*Hays High; 5-3—at Hays-TMP; 5-8—*Garden City
DODGE CITY (1-2-1, 3-6-1)—L SM South 0-6; Titan Classic (L Wichita Kapaun-Mt. Carmel 1-6; W Liberal 1-0 OT; L Wichita Northwest); W *Liberal 1-0; L *Hays High 0-1; L Hays-TMP 1-2; L *Great Bend 1-2; TIE *Garden City 0-0; W Wichita Trinity 2-0; 4-24—*Garden City; 4-26—*at Great Bend; 5-1—at Wichita South; 5-3—*Hays High; 5-10—*at Liberal
LIBERAL (1-2-1, 2-6-1)—W Wichita Classical 4-1; Titan Classic (L Wichita Carroll 0-6; L Dodge City 0-1, OT; L Wichita East); L *Dodge City 0-1; TIE *Hays High 0-0; L *Garden City 0-1; W *Great Bend 3-0; 4-17—at Hays-TMP; 4-19—*at Hays High; 4-27—*Great Bend; 4-30—at Wichita North Tournament; 5-8—*at Garden City; 5-10—*Dodge City
GREAT BEND (1-4, 3-4)—W Wichita Independent 7-2; W Emporia 2-1; L Garden City 0-4; W *Dodge City 2-1; L *Hays High 0-2; L *Liberal 0-3; L *Garden City 1-2; 4-19—Hays-TMP: 4-23—*Hays High; 4-26—*at Dodge City; 4-27—*at Liberal; 4-30—at Hays-TMP; 5-1—Wichita Southeast; 5-3—at Buhler; 5-7—at Manhattan; 5-10—at Junction City
