GOODWELL, Okla. — The Oklahoma Panhandle State women’s soccer team took on the Wayland Baptist women’s soccer team in a matchup of two different halves where the Pioneers took down the Aggies 3-1.

The game started with the Aggies eager to start strong as within 30 seconds, Celine Loraine had a shot blocked and turned out for a corner.

The eighth minute rolled around, and WBU took a shot that forced Leylani Bernal into her first save of the afternoon before being called into action again in the 11^th minute. The Aggies quickly turned defense into attack, and Toriana Holt was running down the channels and bearing down on the Pioneers' goal. She cut back on to her right foot and curled a shot that looked destined for the back of the net before goalkeeper Maria​​ Tomas leaped up and turned the ball wide.

In the 39^th minute, the Aggies fouled in and around their penalty box where the referee pointed to the spot but after speaking to his assistant referee, it was overturned and given as a free kick to which nothing came from it and the half ended 0-0.

The second half began much the way the first half ended. The Pioneers had most of the possession and were looking threatening towards the Panhandle goal.

In the 56^th minute, Erin Carr floated a corner kick into the middle of the box where Bernal couldn’t quite reach, and the ball fell kindly for Alexia Fregoso, who turned the ball into the empty net from two yards out to give WBU the lead.

This was quickly followed up when Carr put an enticing ball into the box from a free-kick this time, where the Aggies played an offside trap but Tannia Diaz was deemed onside as she beat Bernal to the ball to turn the game on its head in less than 10 minutes.

The third goal for the Pioneers came in the 66^th minute from the boot of Eduarda Martins who smashed a penalty through the hand of Bernal to make it 3-0.

OPSU, with a mountain to climb, kept playing and began to create chances. In the 73^rd minute, Loraine won the ball back in the middle of the park and used her speed to drive away from oncoming defenders. She found Holt on the right side who took the ball in her stride as Loraine continued her run into the box. Holt played the ball into the path of Loraine, who smoothly took a touch around Tomas and put the ball into the empty net to give her team a sliver of hope.

The Aggies persevered but came up short as the game ended with a final score of 3-1.

Bernal made eight saves in the game as her team managed nine shots and two corners.

Up Next: Panhandle heads to Waxahachie, TX, to take on the Nelson Lions on Oct. 10, as it looks to bounce back in conference.  

JASON EPP

    • Leader & Times

TURPIN, Okla.—The Turpin Cardinals put on a dominating performance against the Clayton, New Mexico Yellowjackets with a 58-8 mercy-rule win that ended at halftime.

Turpin came out of the gate quickly and led 38-0 at the end of the first quarter. The Cardinals also forced five turnovers and recovered an onside kick. The Cardinals outgained the Yellowjackets 386 to 96 to improve to 5-0 before starting district play next Friday.

By EARL WATT

• Leader & Times

Liberal's defense gave the offense chance after chance to score against the Garden City Buffaloes Friday night at Redskin Field, but two turnovers inside the red zone and another deep in Redskin territory gave the Buffaloes all they needed to escape Liberal with a 21-7 win.

Bren Kappelmann provided an early opportunity for Liberal after completing a screen pass to Alvin Amador who found an opening down the sideline and took the ball 49 yards to the Buffalo 19 yard line. But the Redskins threw an interception on the very next play, and the Buffaloes followed by marching the ball from their own 21 yard line to the Liberal 1.

But the Redskin defense stepped up and forced a fumble at the goal line and recovered it.

Two possessions later, Bentley Betts recovered a Garden City fumble at the Buffalo 21 yard line, and two plays later Landry Fitzgerald drove 16 yards up the middle to the end zone to give the Redskins a 7-0 lead.

But the ensuing kickoff was short, and the Buffaloes covered the ball at the 48 yard line.

Garden City took advantage of the short field and put together a six-play, 52 yard touchdown drive for a 7-7 tie.

Liberal had two more scoring chances before half, but Ariel Gaytan was just short on a 50-yard field goal attempt, and with 11 second remaining before half and Liberal having the ball at the Garden City 4 yard line, a pass to the end zone was intercepted.

A holding penalty early in the third quarter killed a Redskin drive, and after being pinned at their own 7 yard line, the Redskins were forced to punt on fourth and three, and the Buffaloes took advantage after starting their drive at the Liberal 27 yard line.

The Angry Red defense forced a third-and-14, but the Buffaloes were able to convert with an 18-yard touchdown pass to take a 13-7 lead.

Max Holman gave the Redskins another chance in the fourth quarter after intercepting a Buffalo pass in the end zone, but an illegal man downfield against the Redskins negated a first-down reception, and a play later the Redskins threw their third interception of the game, and with their third short field of the game, the Buffaloes needed two plays to go 12 yards and take a 21-7 lead with 4:06 to play.

Liberal drove down to the Buffalo 25 yard line but could not convert on a fourth-and-three, and Garden City ran out the clock to hand Liberal a 21-7 loss.

Liberal coach Marc Svaty said the Redskins needed to stop getting in their own way.

"We got stymied by a hold," he said. "It is a team issue. "We have not converted after a hold. We have to punt. We have had multiple three or four holds a game. Defensively we played unbelievable except one or two plays. I'm sure our offensive line is going to grade out well. We threw too many picks. We are not good behind the sticks or behind (on the scoreboard) in a football game."

The lack of offense also had Svaty frustrated.

"You won't win when you score one touchdown," he said. "That comes from not holding and completing passes."

The pressure on the defense forced them to be on the field for long stretches because of turnovers and punt.

"(Garden City) took the first quarter and third quarter off the clock," Svaty said. "Our defense was playing unbelievable."

The twi turnovers in the first half could have cost the Redskins at least two field goals which would have changed the complexion of the game, according to Svaty.

"On the end zone fade, you put it up where only we can catch it," Svaty said of the interception in the end zone. "We get three with out kicker. We have a very good kicker. We should have got at least three on the first series, and that's couple things that change the game.  The game could have been 13-13 and headed to overtime."

Liberal's next three games will be against some of the toughest teams in Kansas with Great Bend (5-0), Kapaun (5-0)  and Hays (4-1).

"We have a very heavy backend schedule," Svaty said. " We could go 0-3 in next three weeks and play unbelievable. We are going to play a state champion, and two teams that played against state champions last year."

But Svaty said the challenge for the 3-2 Redskins will be to find a way to score.

"We need to reinvent ourselves,” he said. "We are going to have to figure out a way to score a couple touchdowns a game. We have to get creative on the perimeter or in the passing games to get some big plays."