In their first game in the program’s history, the Trinity Lutheran girls soccer team were routed; in game two, they were the ones running up the score.
Cougars sophomore striker Maddie Roark had an outstanding debut to her 2015 season, netting four of her team’s six goals in a 6-1 win against Herron, a charter school from Indianapolis, on Friday.
“A lot of the girls stepped up and were passionate,” Cougars coach Jeff Nolting said. “They were passing well and creating things. It was as much a team effort as anything else. We did what we wanted to do, created possessions and went on the attack.
“I’m pretty pleased, it means a lot to the girls to get the first win. To some degree it’s nice you’re working with a clean slate (with a first-year team). They’re having a lot of fun, are listening and working hard. It’s pretty rewarding from a coaches standpoint. I wasn’t sure we would get a win this early-on in the season. They took what they did in practice, it speaks a lot on the kids.”
With 37:34 left in the first half, Roark netted the program’s first goal on a breakaway.
Freshman Maddie Bell was next to score for the Cougars, tapping in a ball that bounced off the right-side goalpost off a shot by Roark at 30:39.
Following intermission, Herron was able to just break the plain off a wild ball in the box at the 38:25 mark.
With 28:29 left in the game, Roark weaved past three defenders and around Herron’s goalie to put the Cougars up 3-1.
Roark secured a hat-trick with a slow rolling shot in traffic at 25:21.
A pass from Roark found Bell’s feet at 11:23 for a goal, putting the Cougars up 5-1.
Just 20 seconds after Bell’s goal, Roark buried her final goal in the back of the net unassisted from 12 yards.
“Having Maddie Roark on the field created opportunities,” Nolting said. “She can recognize situations — she’s a coach on the field. There were a lot of times on the field she was coaching her teammates. She’s such a quality player for us.
The Cougars finished with 15 shots, and Hailley Peters amassed 15 saves in Trinity’s goal.
“When this team plays aggressive they’re much better from a soccer standpoint,” Nolting said. “We’re not a possession team yet. If they can play aggressive it will be to our aggressive.”
Nolting emphasized that it was a total team effort in the win.
“They we’re extremely excited after the game,” Nolting said. “All the work they’ve put into this, they felt very good about it. Everyone got playing time and contributed. It was a convincing win.”
On Thursday, the Cougars (1-1) will travel to Southport.