Demons halt mini-losing streak with win over Heights at Memorial

After losing two-straight matches (and Western Athletic Conference matches at that) on the road, the Dodge City High School Red Demon soccer team blanked the Wichita Heights Falcons on its own field Thursday to get back on the winning track. The contest at Memorial Stadium ended 3-0.
    "Hopefully it was a momentum builder for us," said Demon coach Virgil Hutchcraft. "We needed a win like this to get us back on a winning path."
    Hutchcraft said he was especially glad to see his team shut out an opponent when they had the chance to. The Demons, even before the mini-losing streak, had found ways to let teams get back into games with unnecessary goals.
    The Demons started hot out off of the blocks Thursday, as sophomore defender Ivan Peralta scored on a Victor Millan assist after a shifty steal of the ball from the young forward. The team gave itself chance after chance to cash in on other goals early in the match, but also got caught too far up defensively twice in the first half, which led to close calls and impressive saves from goalkeeper Cesar Carmona.
    In the 12th minute, for example, a Heights forward sped up the field and nearly went offside, corralling the ball in a one-on-one situation with Carmona. The Demon goalie confronted the attacker and blocked his shot.
    Carmona bailed out his defense in a similar set of circumstances in the 29th minute, when Heights’ Austin Bahner collided with the Dodge goalie on a shot attempt near the net.
    "On a couple of those plays, if he doesn't distract them, this could have been a totally different game," Hutchcraft said. "That was one of the things we talked about at halftime - not getting caught too far out on defense."
    The Demons forced the Falcons to play most of the game in their own end of the field, but did not tack on the insurance goal until the 40th minute, when (with only seven seconds left before halftime), Demon senior midfielder Fabian Sanchez deflected a shot off Falcon defender Carter Way for a Falcon own-goal (credited to Sanchez).
    The Demons took the 2-0 lead into halftime.
    Sanchez showed his chops once more in the 49th minute, when he bent one from 15-yards almost directly left of the goal into the back of the net. His two goals were unassisted.
    The Falcons, down 3-0 with 30 minutes to play, went quietly after Sanchez's second goal. Dodge out-shot Heights 15-5 on the night.
    The win moves Dodge City's record to 8-4 overall and 3-3 in WAC play.
    "We just came out with a lot more energy and desire to win tonight," Hutchcraft said. "We just have to see what we do when we turn around and play a WAC team. No matter who it is, it always seems to be a tough game against WAC opponents."
    The junior varsity Demon soccer team also shut out the Falcons Thursday, winning by a score of 1-0. Carlos Luna scored the match's lone goal in the first half on a steal and a header.
    Both teams play in Great Bend against the Panthers Tuesday. The JV game kicks off at 5 p.m.