A penalty kick proved to be the difference in the Western Athletic Conference boys’ soccer game between host Great Bend High School and Garden City on Tuesday night at Cavanaugh Fields.
Buffaloes midfielder David Amaro punched in the go-ahead goal with 8:20 remaining in the game on a penalty kick to give Garden City a 2-1 win.
“They have good center midfielders, especially (Amaro),” Great Bend head coach Gus Prieto said. “He controlled the ball very well, especially in the first half.”
Great Bend drops to 3-7 overall and 2-3 in WAC action.
Amaro scored in the first half, giving Garden City a 1-0 advantage at halftime.
The Buffaloes controlled the middle of the field throughout the game, winning several loose balls.
“We started nervous, especially in the first 20 minutes,” Gus Prieto said. “After that, we need to push. We got the ball, and we had some chances to score there.”
As time ran out in the first half, Michael Prieto got a pass just past the Garden City goalkeeper. He put the ball into the net, but the senior forward was called offsides.
With less than 30 minutes remaining in the game, Great Bend was given a free kick after a Garden City foul.
Before the kick was made, Garden City was called for another foul, this one inside the box.
Rafael Arias knocked in the ensuing penalty kick to knot the score at one.
Both teams worked frantically to break the tie before time ran out, and Great Bend was called for a foul inside the goalie’s box on a slide tackle, leading to Amaro’s penalty kick.