By Dale Miller
dale.miller@theindependent.com

In the opener, the Crusaders held off Gering's desperation comeback to post a 4-3 win. In the second game, some last-second heroics by Erick Ortiz forced a shootout, but Scottsbluff was able to prevail 3-2 at a windy Fonner Park.

The gusty conditions impacted play throughout the day. Only one goal was scored against the wind between the two contests.

"The wind definitely dictated the direction of play," GICC co-coach Gary Witmer said.

Against Gering, the Crusaders took advantage of the wind at their backs to score four times in the first half.

Ortiz got things started in the 14th minute. John Lilley tapped a pass back to Ortiz, whose arching shot found the back of the net.

Jared Bombeck stole a pass from Gering's goalkeeper and Zach LaBrie sent the ball back over him before he could recover to make it 2-0 in the 25th minute.

Two late goals appeared to give the Crusaders control of the match. Taren Kosmicki assisted as Ethan Krolikowski tapped his own rebound into the goal in the 35th minute, then Krolikowski's assist set up a Luke Wagoner score in the 38th minute.

Gering (2-7) couldn't muster any scores for most of the second half despite holding the wind advantage.

GICC goalkeeper Zach Karn made a pair of big stops, and the Bulldogs has potential goals nullified by offsides and handball calls.

That all changed over the final 7:15 when Gering made it a game. Jordan Lovesee scored twice and Dillon Bindschadler once to quickly turn a blowout into a 4-3 game.

But the Crusaders prevented Gering from having a shot at tying the game to hold on for the win.

"In the first game we played well," Witmer said. "We attacked the midfield hard and everybody played through. Luke Wagoner, Mike Buck and Erick Ortiz did a really good job in the midfield.

"Our defense did a good job. Jared Bombeck and Zach Starostka were tough for us."

The game with Scottsbluff featured even more drama and a successful late comeback.

Tyler Gealy's second goal of the game gave the Bearcats (7-1) a 2-1 lead in the 27th minute. Despite GICC (4-6) creating several scoring opportunities in the second half with the wind behind it, it stayed that way until the final seconds.

LaBrie sent a corner kick for the Crusaders' last realistic scoring chance. Scottsbluff was called for a handball in the box, giving Ortiz a penalty kick with 10 seconds left.

He converted and, with overtime being skipped, sent the game to a shootout.

"That was a big PK," Witmer said. "We have a lot of confidence in Erick."

There were no misses through two rounds with GICC's Wagoner and Eric Juarez and Scottsbluff's Jon Morgan and Sean Edwards converting.

But the Crusaders weren't able to get any of their final three opportunities in, and Gealy's score in the fourth round ended up giving the Bearcats the 3-2 shootout win.

"It was unfortunate in the shootout," Witmer said. "Sometimes those kinds of things happen."

GICC's other goal in regulation came in the seventh minute. Wagoner took advantage when Scottsbluff's keeper couldn't cover the ball to tie the game 1-1. That was the only goal by a team going against the wind and came less than a minute after Gealy put the Bearcats ahead.

The Crusader coaches had no complaints about the day. They felt that the younger players continue to develop.

"Starostka and Buck are first-year players, and Jared (Bombeck) had a broken foot last year," co-coach Bruce Bombeck said. "That's two first-year players and a kid coming off an injury who are really having strong years.

"We were also missing a starter today Austin Witmer. That's one important part of the machine."

Austin Witmer has missed a week with a concussion but is expected to return in Monday's home game against Class B No. 8-rated Schuyler.

"I'm proud of the team today, but we'll have to bounce back in Monday's game," Gary Witmer said. "Schuyler is a tough team."