For The Tribune
SCOTTSBURG
It took the Seymour girls’ soccer team over 21 minutes to get on the scoreboard during Thursday’s match at Scottsburg, but once the Owls put that first goal in the net there was no stopping them.
The Owls scored four goals in the final 18:25 of the first half, then kept the pressure on in the second half for a 7-0 win to even their record at 1-1.
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Seymour missed several excellent scoring opportunities early, but coach Greg Musser said it was nice to see his team stay with the game plan.
“We haven’t been able to put goals in at the start, and that happened again today, but once that first goal goes on it takes the pressure off and helps them relax,” he said.
Marie Lenart gave the Owls a 1-0 lead at the 18:25 mark with Katie O’Mara getting an assist.
Kayla Griffin added a score at 19:06, before Maria Cerda added a pair of goals in a span of less than three minutes for a 4-0 cushion with 4:50 remaining until intermission.
“After the first 20 minutes we did a nice job of controlling the middle,” Musser said. “We didn’t panic when we didn’t make the play. They did what we’ve been doing in practice, and it was nice to see that.”
Lenart tallied a second goal in the second half, while Annika Minton and Andrea Ferrer also found the back of the net to complete the scoring.
Grace Hartman and Marie Lenart both had two assists, while Elizabeth Lenart, Ferrer and Minton also assisted on goals.
The Owls had 24 shots to four for the Warriors, and Musser said the midfielders deserve a lot of credit for controlling the ball.
Musser said the Owls were making nice connections with their passes which put more pressure on the Scottsburg defense.
“The midfielders did a great job today,” he said. “They didn’t overplay like they did against Providence. You could tell they did what we told them in practice.”
Rachel Collett was in goal the first half, and Abi Beed was in goal the second half for the Owls. Each goalie was credited with two saves, and one of Beed’s saves came on a penalty kick with 17 minutes remaining that helped preserve the shutout.
“It’s always nice to get that first win, and lets the girls feel good about themselves,” Musser said. “We’ve got eight matches in 11 days, beginning Tuesday (at Jeffersonville).”
The Owls will play in the Hoosier Cup on Sept. 4 and 5 in Bloomington.