Broncbuster men score major upset; knock off top-seeded Johnson County

Overland Park, KS-For 12 months, the name Kyle Johnson was considered taboo around Garden City. 

A year after Johnson ended the Broncbusters season with a goal in the final seven minutes of their opening-round tournament game in 2015, Garden City returned the favor. 

Marcus Fernandez scored his team's lone goal in the 75th minute, and the eighth-seeded Broncbusters enacted some revenge by beating No. 1 Johnson County 1-0 in the first round of the 2016 Region VI Tournament on Thursday afterrnoon.

"All the guys gave 100 percent in this one," Head Coach Charles Long said. "This one was sweet. The way our season ended last year, we owed them one. And trust me, they were telling everyone that they were going to beat us."

Garden City got the lost laugh. But not before a multitude of missed opportunities. 

Alexis Lopez had two, line-drive shots hit the post as did David Amaro. Sprinkle in Gilberto Tovar's near miss at the end of the first half, and Long was scratching his head going into the break. 

"We had so many opportunities," Long said. "But that's how it's been all year. The difference today was that we finally broke through."

Fernandez made sure he didn't miss his final shot. The freshman from Brazil sent Garden City packing for the second round with a tremendous score off Abraham De La Mora's assist. 

"Our guys just kept coming," Long said. "And this was no easy task. It was a grass field, which our guys aren't used to."

The Broncbusters out shot the Cavliers 17-11. John Avalos had 11 saves. 

Garden City improved to 12-9 overall, and will face the winner of the Kansas City/Great Bend match on Sunday. 

Johnson County, who captured their first Jayhawk East title since 2009, saw their season end at 11-5-1. Ironically in '09, the Cavaliers also lost in the opening round of the conference tournament.