Manhattan High boys’ soccer kept its winning streak rolling Tuesday night at Bishop Stadium, cruising past Hayden 5-0 for its third straight win.
The Indians improved to 4-6 overall and 2-1 in Centennial League play, while the Wildcats fell to 0-12.
Hayden kept the game close in the opening minutes, but Manhattan’s attack eventually began to find its rhythm. The Indians finished with nearly 40 more shots than the Wildcats.
Junior Kaden Lang got Manhattan on the board with 17:48 remaining in the first half, striking from long range to give the Indians a 1-0 lead. Fellow junior Jesus Cuevas added another goal just over three minutes later, sneaking a shot past the Hayden goalkeeper to push the lead to 2-0.
The Indians carried that advantage into halftime.
Head coach Mike Sanchez said Manhattan used halftime to make some tactical adjustments after a slower start.
“We just talked tactics, attacking them on the flanks and getting some balls inside the box,” he said. “The energy was also flat when we started the game. I asked them, ‘Can we come out with a little bit more intensity?’ And I think they did in the second half.”
The Indians applied more pressure after the break. With 18 minutes remaining, sophomore Mateo Sanchez found the net during a scramble near the goal to extend Manhattan’s lead to 3-0.
Freshman Camden Fobes added another goal with 13 minutes left, before senior Devin Dupree Fogle capped the scoring from just a few feet in front of the Hayden goalkeeper with less than a minute remaining.
The five goals came from five different Manhattan players, something Sanchez said has become a trend during the Indians’ recent run.
“We have multiple guys that can score, people that have been in those situations, and we’re just not counting on one or two guys to do a job,” Sanchez said. “So it’s great. That’s definitely what we need, and I’m excited to see it. We want to keep it up.”
The Indians have also found consistency from a cohesive group.
“They get along really well. They joke, they laugh. They really get out there and play for each other, which is the biggest thing,” Sanchez said. “We’re working kids back in from being beat up. So I think everybody’s just stepping up and doing their job.”
Defensively, Manhattan continued to get contributions from the same back line it has used over the past several games as Hayden did not seriously challenge sophomore goalkeeper Cooper Bailey.
“They communicate well,” Sanchez said. “Cooper really wasn’t challenged today, but just as a unit, we defend box to box, and then when we attack, we attack as a unit.”
The Indians will face their biggest test of the week Thursday, traveling to Washburn Rural for another Centennial League matchup.
“It’s always a battle when we go there,” Sanchez said. “They get a good crowd out. A lot of these guys have played with those guys in club soccer, so they’re familiar with the guys they’re going to play against. And we love great competition. So we’re excited about it. I know they’re excited about it.”