Barragan spearheads Buffs soccer

Garden City, Kan (westernkansasnews.com)-Every so often, an athlete comes along that literally amazes you every time he or she takes the field. Last year it was Buffs quarterback Greyson Tempel. This year it’s Erik Barragan’s turn. 

The senior waited nearly 35 minutes to put on a scoring display that watched him net three goals in a 4-1 route of Hays Tuesday night at Buffalo Stadium. 

“I always set the bar pretty high,” Barragan said afterwards. “I just give it my all.”

But Barragan’s night was far from perfect. The first 10 minutes saw him, uncharacteristically miss open shots near the goal. Then his head coach pulled him aside. 

“I thought he was trying too hard early on,” Juaquin Padilla said. “But once we put him back in, he was fine. We expect that from Erik.”

Barrigan’s first goal came in the 36th minute on a beautiful setup by David Amaro. The two hooked up again just 60 seconds later to make it 2-0. 

After Hays broke through early in the second half, Luis Carmona padded the Garden City (1-0, 1-0) lead 3-1. Barrigan then capped the night with his third goal in the 66th minute. 

The Buffaloes out shot Hays an astounding 22-3. 

Next up: Maize South Tourney September 9-12