The time has come again for the rivalry games to roll around. The ultimate Western Kansas rivalry, Dodge City against Garden City took place Tuesday night. The boys soccer teams met at Memorial Stadium in Dodge City to break the tie at the top of the Western Athletic Conference standings. Both teams sat at 4-2, but after a heroic second half Buffalo comeback, only one team walked away top dog. Or top buffalo, you could say, as they trampled the Demons 2-1.
The Demons took control of the first half and the Buffs had difficulty retaliating. A perfectly devised play with a little patience required and Demon sophomore Luis Carmona found soph. Isaac Palma in the middle of the field. Palma threaded the needle to squeeze in the goal between the goalie and the post. The Demons headed into halftime up 1-0 on the Buffs.
All seemed to be in favor of Dodge until a huge momentum shift. Garden City senior midfielder Joel Sanchez turned out to be the second half savior. He got a free kick early and pounded it in the net for the equalizer. The Demons had multiple opportunities to score but corner kicks were not their allies. Sanchez again found the perfect opening with 14 minutes left in the game. A connection with the near side of the net to score his second goal. It would be the final goal of the game. Garden City tookthe crown for now 2-1.
