BY JIM MISUNAS
jmisunas@gbtribune.com
NICKERSON – Great Bend Panther goalie Grecia Dominquez performed brilliantly to keep Thursday’s soccer showdown with Nickerson tied 1-1. Time-after-time, Dominguez stayed steady under heavy pressure. She was helped by defenders Brooke Bodine, Eva Garcia, Araceli Aguilera and Mayra Gonzalez.
Nickerson's Jayli Groth hit the post and Ayla Ontjes was a consistent offensive playmaker.
Dominguez yielded two “soft” goals, both triggered by Nickerson’s MycKenzie Goetz, who chipped an overtime ball that the goalie was unable to corral in windy conditions. Nickerson's Ashley Teichmann alertly converted the game-winning goal 15:06 into overtime for a 2-1 victory. Earlier, Goetz chipped a ball that spun in the wind and barely skipped past Dominguez (22:55).
4A Nickerson (4-3) and 5A Great Bend (1-8) were locked in a physically-demanding showdown that required both teams to play on rather than fouls being called to slow the tempo.
Great Bend Panther Jillian Reimer performed at a high level, converting one goal (38:00) and missing several golden 1-on-1 scoring opportunities. Reimer showed off her speed and strength to power past Nickerson's backline defense.
Nickerson goalie Payten Dodson stopped several quality shots. Reimer missed several quality chances over the net. Evelyn Luna and Roxana Rodriguez also missed quality shots.
"Jillian was a big offensive presence," said Great Bend coach Noel Rodriguez. "Jillian is a physical player who put her body up against defenders and kept them on her back. She dribbled the ball well and had nice turns. She just needs to put the ball in the net. It didn't go our way today."
Great Bend was unable to convert a 1-player advantage in the final 20 minutes after Nickerson's Breckyn Isley was tagged with a red card for a physical play. Several Great Bend players missed playing time due to the physical play.
"We learned we have to fight through adversity and push forward," Rodriguez said. "There was physical action out there with girls putting their bodies on the line. They put out effort trying to bring our team to a good performance. The calls weren't being made. At a certain point, you have to take control the game as a referee. Girls became frustrated, which caused odd fouls."
WAC GIRLS SOCCER
Garden City 3-0-1 5-3-1
Dodge City 2-0-1 6-3-1
Hays 3-1 7-3
Liberal 2-3 5-4-1
Great Bend 0-6 1-8
GARDEN CITY (3-0-1, 5-3-1)—W Liberal 3-0; L Buhler 1-3; L Rose Hill 0-1; W Arkansas City 10-0; L Rose Hill 0-1; W Great Bend 5-0; W TMP 10-0; TIE Dodge City 2-2; W Great Bend 9-0; 4-23 at Dodge City; 5-2 at TMP; 5-7 at Liberal 5-10 Hays
DODGE CITY (2-0-1, 6-3-1)—L Derby 0-2; W TMP 10-0; L Wichita NW 0-2; L Derby 1-2; W Wichita SE 1-0; W Hays 2-1; W Wichita South 10-0; W Great Bend 5-0; TIE Garden City 2-2; 4-16 Liberal, ppd.; W TMP 10-0; 4-23 Garden City; 4-25 Great Bend; 5-2 Hays; 5-6 at Circle; 5-9 at Liberal
HAYS HIGH (3-1, 7-3)—W Great Bend 3-1; L Topeka 1-4; W Salina South 3-2; W Newton 2-1; L Dodge City 1-2; W Liberal 2-1; L Manhattan 0-5; W Junction City 3-0; W Wichita Trinity 4-1; 4-16 Garden City, ppd; W Liberal 3-2; 4-18; 4-22 at Great Bend; 5-2 at Dodge City; 5-7 TMP; 5-10 at Garden City
LIBERAL (2-3, 5-4-1)—L Garden City 0-3; W Winfield 3-1; L Hutchinson 0-5; W Salina Central 3-1; W Great Bend 7-0; L Hays 1-2; TIE Lamar, Colo. 1-1; W Guymon, Okla. 3-0; W Great Bend 7-0; 4-16 at Dodge City, ppd.; L Hays 2-3; 4-23 Alva, Okla.; 4-25 TMP; 5-3 at Topeka; 5-7 Garden City; 4-9 Dodge City
GREAT BEND (0-6, 1-8)—L Wichita North 0-10; L Hays 1-3; W TMP 11-1; L Liberal 0-7; L Garden City 0-5; L Dodge City 0-5; L Liberal 0-7; L Garden City 0-9; L Nickerson 1-2 (2 OT); 4-22 Hays; 4-25 Dodge City; 4-29 at TMP; 4-30 Wichita SE; 5-6 at Manhattan; 5-7 at Wichita South; 5-9 Junction City
