Lebanon traveled to Republic Thursday looking for an upset. The Yellowjackets scored first and grabbed the momentum. After that, it was all Republic.
The Tigers evened the score before halftime and pulled away, scoring six straight goals to win 6-1. It was the second straight victory to start the season for Republic.
Julio Quezada scored the equalizer and Drew Flippin gave the Tigers the lead for good. Quezada and Dylan Brown ended the game with two goals apiece. Armando Hurtado also scored for the Tigers. Flippin, Brown, Mason Michaelis, and Spenser Waller had assists.
“I felt like we were sloppy and sluggish at first, with little communication,” says coach Kevin Hauck. “We turned it on in the second half and moved the ball faster and played more as a team, creating more opportunities.”
Aside from allowing the opening goal in the early minutes, Hauck says he thought the defense looked good.
“I thought we ended well. Our defense looked organized and strong tonight, but we have to get better at defending corners and set pieces,” he says. “We have Nixa on Tuesday. (It’s a) big conference game; time to focus there.”
The Tigers are 2-0. They’ll host the Nixa game next Tuesday.