Manhattan High School girls soccer returned to the grounds of Bishop Stadium for the first time since April 9 to host Blue Valley Stilwell ahead of a stormy Saturday afternoon. The Tigers defeated Manahattan 3-0.
“(Blue Valley) was aggressive and their midfield was really good with the ball. They did what they had to do,” head coach Mike Sanchez said. “I think we obviously have room for improvement. And we'll touch on that on Monday.”
The Indians (7-4-1) gained momentum on the road with previous wins over Emporia and Trinity Academy, outscoring those opponents 6-1. Sanchez said that in addition to being close to full strength, being able to connect in midfield played a key role.
Manhattan continues to grapple with the loss of junior forward Mikayla Byrd, who was injured earlier this month.
“Obviously some guys went down, but today we started as hard as we could despite not feeling well,” Sanchez said. “They affected the team so we will regroup and start again next week.”
The Tigers (5-8) took the lead in the 11th minute, hitting the back of the net from 25 yards out.
But Manhattan didn't relent, putting pressure on the Tigers for the remainder of the opener. Manhattan held a 1-0 lead in the 37th minute, highlighted by a great save by freshman keeper Eby Rulifson that snuffed out a rocket toward the goal.
Blue Valley started the first half and scored their second goal just over two minutes into the game. Manhattan almost fought back just seconds later, but his header just went over the crossbar.
In the end, the Tigers fended off the Indians' comeback attempt, scoring their third point with three seconds left.
“We have to correct our mistakes and learn from them. So when we go back and watch the film, we see what we need to work on,” Sanchez said. “But I think our offense was a little different today.”
Next up for the Indians are two road games, starting Tuesday against Wichita Northwest and Thursday against Hayden.
