CHICKASHA – Steve Scott’s Fightin’ Chick soccer team lost and tied Tuesday but showed obvious signs of improvement in their second round of summer league matches.

They were a little overmatched and without their keeper against a very solid Putnam City North side in the early game, losing 6-1, but responded well in the nightcap, tying Putnam City Original 5-5 in a fast-paced, explosive match.

Starting goalkeeper Connor Prochaska was sidelined with an upper-respiratory infection and midfielder Will Ford had to be pressed into net service against North. He made some terrific saves along the way but just couldn’t hold off the high-scoring Panthers.

In spite of being pinned down for the first few minutes, Chickasha scored first on a long ball out of the back that forward Anthony Klipp caught up to and half-volleyed to North’s far post from about ten yards out.

Midfielder Matt Brae got the equalizer almost immediately on North’s ensuing possession, chipping a 15-yarder over the top to the far corner, and the Panther offense never let up.

After having their second goal of the match called back on an offside flag, Ethan Merchant picked up a through ball and drilled it from twenty yards out for a 2-1 halftime lead.

Brae set up the third Panther goal two minutes into the second half with a run up the left side and a well-placed cross to forward Rilwan Bobatunde out in front around the six.

Ten minutes later, midfielder Tyler Groh extended it to four on a direct kick from just outside the box then picked up his second score four minutes later with a run through the Chick defense and a short pop to the far post to make it 5-1.

The final score came with ten minutes left when Bobatunde was pulled down in the box. Dillon Stallings nailed the PK to close out the scoring at 6-1 for the lopsided win.

After a game off, Chickasha looked like a completely different team against Original, hanging with them for the full sixty minutes and a 5-5 tie.

Chris Jeffries took over in the nets, allowing Ford to get back out front, and the senior made his presence felt immediately when he took the ball deep into the corner five minutes into the match to set striker Zac Robbins up for the first score.

PC forward Luis Lemus got the equalizer with a lateral run across the front of the net and a shot back against the grain but Ford struck again eight minutes later in heavy rain with a 25-yard missile to regain the lead.

As the sudden downpour started to slow, junior forward Josh Torres muscled his way through two Pirate defenders to win a loose ball and bury it for a 3-1 lead but Wilmer Reyes’ direct kick from just outside the box slid into the corner to get the Bucs within one at the break.

Lemus knotted it at three ten minutes into the second half with a 20-yard bender but defender Colt Dixon found Torres with the long ball and Torres netted it from the right elbow to get the lead back.

A penalty kick tied it again when Lemus got hammered in the box at the eighteen-minute mark and PC’s Francisco Torres stuck the PK but Chickasha came right back.