After a pivotal week of soccer in the Western Athletic Conference, a three-way battle for the league title has now turned into a two-horse race.
Not much has separated Garden City, Hays and Dodge City throughout the season, but the title picture got much clearer after last week’s league games.
Dodge City entered the week atop the conference standings but Garden City notched a 1-0 win over Dodge on Tuesday and Hays took a 2-0 win on Thursday over the Red Demons.
Those victories will set up a clash for the league championship between Hays and Garden City in the regular-season finale on Friday in Garden City.
“I love the competitive nature of the league,” Hays coach Tyler Rueschhoff said.
Hays sits 6-1 in the league play after avenging an overtime loss to Dodge City while Garden City is 4-1-1 in the WAC. If Garden City beats Liberal on Tuesday, Hays can take the conference title with a win or tie against Garden City. The Buffaloes will need to beat both Liberal and Hays to win the league.
Both Garden City and Hays stayed in control of their destiny in the league race with the wins against Dodge, now 4-2-1 and in the league.
Hays got two second-half goals from senior Katie Dinkel on Thursday to avenge a 2-1 overtime loss to the Red Demons in the first matchup.
“We played a full game,” Rueschhoff said. “There wasn’t a time when we were on our heels or walking. Every single second of this game we were on our toes, ready to run, doing whatever it took.”
Dinkel teamed with junior Arely Maldonado to set up Hays’ first goal with pristine passing. Dinkel went down the center and passed to Maldonado, who fed the ball back to Dinkel for the finish in the 60th minute.
“Both of them have great, great vision on the field,” Rueschhoff said. “They know where each other is all the time.”
Dinkel later buried her second goal in the 78th minute off another pass from Maldonado to cap a strong senior night performance.
“Since her sophomore year, she’s been a huge leader for the program,” Rueschhoff said of Dinkel.
Hays, now 11-3 overall, has won 8 of its last nine games since starting the season 3-2.
“Two of our losses this year have been in overtime,” Rueschhoff said. “Getting this revenge on Dodge City is good. When we played them the first time I think we hit the post at least 10 times. (Thursday) it was good to see that we put them away.”
Rueschhoff credited his back line for playing well to keep Dodge off the board. Addie Otte prevented a Dodge City goal in the first half by clearing a ball away at the goal line.
Garden City also came up clutch in its road win against Dodge. Senior Andrea Aguilar scored the lone goal off an assist from Isabel Espino in the 62nd minute to help the Buffaloes complete the season sweep of the Red Demons.
“This game means so much, not only to the seniors, but to all the girls,” Garden City coach Jose Vital told gcbuffs.com. “And to get the win, it just puts the icing on the cake.”
“The fact it was our senior captain (Aguilar) made it a super emotional moment for our seniors,” Vital added. “The fact she got a game-winner on her last time playing Dodge at Dodge that just made it so much more special to us. Collectively, we are just so happy to see our athletes gain what they have worked for.”
Hays got the better of the Buffaloes in the first matchup, taking a 4-1 win on April 17 in Hays. Rueschhoff expects a great atmosphere for the rematch on Friday in Garden.
“Playing Garden at their home is never easy,” Rueschhoff said. “You got to travel, you’ve got bus legs. Their crowds are insane. It’s going to be extra special because that is the WAC title game. Whoever wins that will win the WAC championship. It’s a huge game, the girls know that.”
GOLF
– St. Francis' Jordan Smull won the St. Francis Invitational on Saturday with a 76.
– Hill City’s Ben Deges and Dylan Budig went 1-2 in the Hill City Invitational. Deges won the tournament with a 71 while Budig shot a 72 to take second.
– Lakin’s Kevin Tanner captured the Stanton County tournament title with a 74, edging South Gray’s Grant Wahl by a stroke.
– Hoxie’s Brady Jones won the Colby Invitational with a 78.
– TMP-Marian’s Pake Dewey shot a 75 to win the Ellsworth Invitational, edging Russell’s Jake Mooney by one shot.
– South Gray’s Jaxon Koehn and Cameron Wahl tied for first in the South Gray Invitational with 75s.
– Garden City’s Madix Shook continued a strong sophomore season by winning the 36-hole I-35 Shootout at Newton and Hesston. He fired a 65 at Hesston and a 70 at Sand Creek in Newton.
– Hill City’s teammates Cooper Bagley and Ben Deges tied for first at Oakley Invitational last Monday with 74s.
– Syracuse’s Tyrel Lynam won the Syracuse Invitational with an 80.
SWIMMING
– Garden City won the Salina Central Invitational on Thursday. Avery Meng took first in the 100 freestyle (57.37) and the 100 breaststroke (1:09.95). Payton Tull won the 100 backstroke in 1:10.18. Tull, Riley Sekavic, Meng and Lexi Arwine teamed to the win 200 medley relay in 2:07.27.
– Hays’ Izabel Schmidt won the 200 individual medley (2:27.48) and the 100 freestyle (56.76) at the Hutchinson Invitational.
– Dodge City’s Ashlyn Armstrong won the 500 freestyle at the Hutchinson Invitational in 6:28.79.
TENNIS
– Garden City’s Logan Morren and Colin Kleysteuber won the doubles title at the Class 6A regional at Dodge City on Friday. Morren and Kleysteuber beat Liberal’s Hudson Brown and Daniel Nguyen, 6-1, 6-2, in the final. Morren and Kleysteuber are 31-3 on the season.
– Central Plains’ Peyton Ryan will take an unblemished record into the Class 3-1A state tournament. Ryan never dropped a game in the regional at WaKeeney, beating Scott City’s Houston Frank in the final. Ryan, last year’s state runner-up, improved to 31-0.
– Scott City won the regional team title at WaKeeney. Scott City’s Avry Noll and Sage Stoeckline won the doubles championship, defeating teammates Dylan Duff and Dante Frank in the finals.