Soccer upsets punctuate end of regular season

Regional assignments for boys soccer will be determined Saturday, but the last couple weeks of regular-season play have featured a few upsets.

The biggest upset involving an area team occurred Oct. 15, when Dodge City handed Maize its first loss. Maize fell 2-1 on its home field. Also Oct. 15, Wichita East dealt Liberal a blow after the Redskins had won eight consecutive games. The dropped game (score: 1-0) in the North Cup resulted in their second loss; Liberal is now 12-2 overall.

East has been a bit of a giant-killer lately. The Aces hosted 12-2 Dodge City on Monday and sent the Red Demons home with a 12-3 record. Dodge City led 1-0 at halftime, but Jorge Rodriguez picked up two goals for East in the second half – including the game winner with 10 seconds left.

East is now 12-4 on the season. Despite the Aces’ success, they couldn’t pull off a City League title. That went to Wichita Southeast, which completed its league schedule undefeated. The Buffs had a bumpy start this season, but then again, two of their first five games were against Washburn Rural and Liberal. According to Kansas soccer coaches, Washburn Rural is the top-ranked team in Class 6A while Liberal is No. 5 in 5A.

Southeast, 11-4 overall, will complete its regular season Thursday against Goddard. The Buffs were involved in the other Oct. 15 upset when they edged Hutchinson 2-1. The Salthawks, now 12-3-1, are ranked No. 4 in 5A.

Maize is probably the toughest local 6A team, although East, Southeast and Dodge City are dangerous. Dodge City’s three losses were to Hutchinson, Liberal and East – a trio of respectable squads. The Western Athletic Conference will end its soccer competition with an exciting showdown since Dodge City and Liberal will face off Thursday on the Redskins’ home field. Liberal defeated Dodge 2-1 in the teams’ Sept. 15 battle, so the rematch should prove interesting.