BUHLER, Kan. – McPherson High School Boys Soccer took a short road trip to face their rivals, the Buhler Crusaders, pulling off a thrilling overtime 3-2 victory.
Head Coach Chris Adrian called the matchup a “roller coaster of a game.” The teams stymied themselves for most of the first half, but a handball by McPherson in the box earned Buhler a PK, which they converted to go up 1-0 at halftime.
The second half saw more of an aggressive nature for the Bullpups. McPherson tied the game early in the second half on a nifty pass from Yahir Valadez to Parker Riemann to score the goal. As Mother Nature played its part in the game with rain showers entering the area, McPherson maintained its offensive aggressiveness to earn several corner kicks, which helped Valadez score to give McPherson a 2-1 lead. However, Buhler responded to tie the game minutes later to send the game to overtime.
Manny Morales showed his heroics in overtime, scoring the game-winning goal to win the game. It was redemption for Morales, who had a chance to tie the game in the second half when trailing 1-0, but his header just barely missed, hitting the post. This time, Morales beat his defender and received a nice cross pass from Ben Bocox, which ultimately won the match.
“This was exactly the type of game we needed [Tuesday] after a really challenging start to the season,” Head Coach Chris Adrian said. “The game forced the team to dig deep and persevere. I’m proud of the effort and resilience the team showed.”
McPherson is now 3-4 on the season, but will have a quick turnaround at home against Newton on Thursday, Sept. 25.
