Dodge City High Red Demons boys soccer coach Virgil Hutchcraft said he and the team wanted to make a statement in their season opener at home against the Wichita South Titans Thursday.
Well, after a 6-0 shutout victory, they did just that.
"We definitely wanted a shutout," Hutchcraft said. "And I thought we could do that, but 6-0 I don't know. They played Tuesday against Garden City and it was 1-0, so that kind of scared me a little bit. We definitely came out focused. The good thing was we got to play just about everybody and we saw that everybody can play at the level we need to."
Sophomore Ivan Peralta and junior Victor Millan had two goals apiece for Dodge in the shutout win, while junior Alan Rojas and senior Jean-Damian Bouyer scored the other two goals for the Demons.
Dodge dominated early, keeping the ball on Wichita's side of the field, and after two near goals within the first seven minutes of play, DCHS senior Saul Sanchez found Millan who headed the game's first goal with just under 31 minutes remaining in the first half.
The Demons continued to press the Titans' net through the first period and grabbed a 2-0 advantage with just over 15 minutes to play when Dodge's Rojas netted another.
"The guys did their jobs," Hutchcraft said. "We've talked a lot about our outside mids staying outside and they stayed outside most of the time. We just spread the field on them."
Wichita continued to struggle with Dodge's speed and athleticism both in and outside, and Bouyer scored the third goal of the night with six-plus minutes remaining in the first half as the Demons took a 3-0 lead into the break.
Millan continued Dodge's dominance in the second half as he found the back of the Titans' goal less than seven minutes into period two.
"Victor, he's just got a sense for where the ball's going to be, he's just a ball-hawk," Hutchcraft said. "He's probably one of the strongest forwards we've ever had."
Peralta gave the Demons a 6-0 lead after scoring the final two goals of the night within the last eight minutes of regulation.
"Ivan is just flat out fast," Hutchcraft said. "I mean, golly, he goes 110 miles an hour I think and that's definitely his strength. He connects with the ball a lot."
Hutchcraft said the team's first goal in 2009 is to go after a Western Athletic Conference title. But he said he also wants a top seed in regionals and he knows his team has to be able to perform well against the abundance of Wichita teams in order to do so. A 6-0 shutout against Wichita South on opening night was a step in the right direction.
"I've already been looking at scores and some of those teams are doing the same things — 8-1, 6-0 — so we have to say we're right up there with them."
Dodge will head to Wichita South Monday for the first game of the annual Titan Classic.
DODGE CITY —
