Reserved and a bit shy, Alan Flores had little to say about Derby's win over Campus.
Flores really did not need to say anything. His performance on the turf– four goals in leading the Panthers to an 8-0 romp over the Colts – said it all.
“He doesn't speak a lot. He just goes about his business and does what he's supposed to do,” said Paul Burke, Derby head coach. “I think he bought into the mindset that he's going to score a goal, and one turned into three immediately.”
Before seven minutes had past in the contest, Flores had poked in three goals to give Derby a commanding 3-0 edge.
“He's a great finisher. That's the reason we love finding him,” said Derby defender Austin Swindler. “He's a target player because he makes great runs.”
After Flores' onslaught, the floodgates through the Campus defense opened wide.
Marcus McKee tacked on a goal. Julio Vielmas flicked in a direct kick over a wall of defenders. Flores tapped in his fourth score. Chase Sacket found the net from 10 yards out.
At halftime, Derby held a 7-0 lead.
“They were hungry. I kind of laid into them on how we have to score goals to be productive,” Burke said. “We got refocused.”
Focus has been a teaching point in recent practices after back-to-back losses to Wichita North and Andover. The Panthers began the season 4-0, but were on a two-game skid before the home date with Campus.
“The reason I think we lost to North and Andover was we played their game, and we played bootball,” Swindler said. “We just didn't play our game. We're not the most talented team, so we need to keep the ball passing around, keep it going.”
The Panthers seemingly righted their transgressions against the Colts. Thome Denesongkham tallied a goal in the second half to give Derby its 8-0 victory.
The win swings a positive energy back toward the Panthers before tough upcoming opponents in Maize South and Wichita Northwest.
But perhaps most importantly was a triumph over the rival school to the west. Flores summed up the victory over Campus succinctly.
“It means a lot,” he said.
