The Manhattan Indians Varsity Girls Soccer team improves to 10-4-1 on the season after defeating Great Bend (3-12) 10-0 on Senior Night at Bishop stadium on Wednesday, May 8.

“That was a great senior night,” Head Coach Mike Sanchez said. “A good way for them to go out on their last regular season home game.”

The game was a showcase of teamwork, with eight different players scoring for Manhattan High, including all five seniors.

Senior Grace Geisbrecht started off the Indians scoring spree six minutes in with a goal, putting Manhattan up 1-0. Freshman Lauren Booe tapped in the Indians second with under eight minutes left in the first half. In the final three minutes of the half, Manhattan tacked on two more goals from seniors Shaylee Lundsway and Chloe Porter, giving the offensively dominant Manhattan squad a 4-0 lead at half time.

The second half was even more climactic. Five minutes into the second, senior Emery Ruliffson nailed a deep kick off the fingertips of the goalkeeper and into the top right corner of the goal, giving Manhattan a commanding 5-0 lead. Ruliffson was not finished there — just three minutes after her first goal she scored another, swelling the MHS lead to 6-0. 

Ruliffson’s second goal ties Cailey Perkins’ 2018 all-time MHS goals-in-a-season record. Ruliffson will have multiple opportunities to break that record, whether that be in the final regular season game or in the playoffs. 

“It felt great to come out and do what I know how to do,” senior Emery Ruliffson said.

Sanchez, who was also Perkins’ coach, ranks Ruliffson’s performance among the best he has seen.

“She’s up there with a lot of great players that have played here,” Sanchez said.

Senior Maggie Dixon found the back of the net with 30 minutes left in the game, making the score 7-0. Sophomore Tess Henry came off the bench and chalked up a goal giving the Indians their eighth goal of the game half way through the second half. With 10:30 remaining in the contest Manhattan scored a goal that bounced off the leg of a Great Bend player. The icing on the cake was a goal from sophomore Kameron Felice with six minutes left on the clock, giving the red-hot Indians a 10-0 victory by the mercy rule.

The Indians theme for this year is “we over me,” a phrase that the squad has carried through their winning season.

“We are here to play for our family, for our friends, for our teammates,” Ruliffson said. “So I think just understanding that mindset, especially coming into the second half, was just a huge game changer.”

The win gave the Indians their first three-game streak of the season so far.

Manhattan closes out the regular season on the road against Shawnee Heights on Thursday, May 9. For the coach, all players working as a team is more important than ever as playoffs begin next week. 

“The way we are going to get back to State is if we all play and we all do our part,” Sanchez said.