McPherson Soccer Falls in Heartbreaking Season Opener
Bullpups surrender late lead in 2-1 loss to Wichita East, face Northwest in second round Thursday
The McPherson Bullpups soccer team opened their season with a heartbreaking 2-1 loss to Wichita East, surrendering the lead twice before falling on a last-minute breakaway goal.
Manny Morales gave McPherson an early advantage with a spectacular strike to the top corner, assisted by Jackson Martin. The goal capped off a strong start that saw the Bullpups create several quality scoring opportunities.
"The team started well and created a couple good opportunities early on," said Head Coach Chris Adrian. "Manny Morales opened the scoring with a beautiful shot in the top corner after a nice assist from Jackson Martin."
Wichita East controlled possession throughout much of the contest and found the equalizer late in the first half following confusion on a drop ball restart. "It was a tough way to end the first half because the boys played so hard," Adrian noted.
The Bullpups adjusted their tactical approach at halftime, successfully limiting East's attacking threats but struggling to generate offense of their own. McPherson managed just two shots on goal while goalkeeper Gabe Standfast was busy throughout, making 10 saves to keep his team competitive.
With the match seemingly headed to a penalty shootout, East broke McPherson hearts with a breakaway goal in the final minute. "It was a heartbreaking way to lose a game knowing we only needed 60 more seconds to send the game to a shootout where we really liked our chances at completing the upset win," Adrian said.
Despite the disappointing result, Adrian found several positives in the performance. "Our defense did a good job being organized forcing East to take a lot of long distance shots. With Gabe Standfast in the goal, it will take something pretty special to beat him from outside the box."
The coach acknowledged areas needing improvement, particularly on the offensive end. "It was a struggle to maintain possession and 2 shots on goal isn't going to get it done most nights."
McPherson will regroup at Wednesday's practice before traveling back to Wichita Thursday for their second-round matchup against Wichita Northwest.
Greg Loving
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