Hillsboro started off their season with a bang after a strong showing against Highway A rival, the Festus Tigers. With a 4-0 victory, the Hawks showed that they will be a force to be reckoned with this season.
It didn’t take long for the Hawks to find the net as Gracie Schmitt, assisted by Colleen Theiss, scored in the tenth minute.
“We came out on the field ready to work hard as a team,” Schmitt said. “We knew it was going to be a challenge, but we just had to stay collected. We all had to read each other’s play to really come together to win. That’s exactly what we did. We all fought our hardest and with that effort we achieved our goal.”
The Hawks kept up the pressure on Festus, and were rewarded with another goal in the 39th minute. This time it came off the foot of Theiss, as the result of a penalty kick at the 18 yard line.
After the half, the Hawks continued to keep the door shut on the Tigers. They then added a third goal from Zoe Wood in the 57th minute.
To put the final nail in the coffin, Theiss scored her second goal in the 112th minute, going unassisted once again.
“I feel like we did a great job of connecting passes and working together,” Wood said. “We focused on working the ball outside, and this gave us many offensive opportunities.”
“The girls played very well and executed our coaching points. It was a great way to start the season,” mentioned Head Coach Sam Nansel. “We are excited to be able to have a season and we’re going to make the most of it.”
Baylei Clubb started in goal for the Hawks, played for 77 minutes and made five saves. Bailey Prather subbed in for the other three minutes. The Hawks had 13 shots on goal to Festus’ eight.
The Hawks now prepare to play away at Afton on Tuesday, March 23rd. The game kicks off at 6:00 p.m.
