The Lady Tigers soccer team has finally started piling up goals instead of injuries. Republic got goals from five different players Tuesday night, beating Willard on the road 5-0. It was the second consecutive 5-0 victory for the Lady Tigers, after they had gone six games in a row without a single goal at all.
The scoring outburst coincided with the return of senior Emily Jordan, but Tuesday night, lots of other players got in on the act, as well. Emma Pearce started the ball rolling just a minute into the game when she found a corner kick from Jordan and put it into the back of the net to make the score 1-0.
“It was kind of like when I made my very first goal ,” Pearce says. “I was really nervous, but I just tried to follow up on it.”
That early goal fueled a strong performance for Pearce, who was around the ball all night and made several other scoring opportunities with her aggressiveness.
“ was really encouraging and it was a really good energy boost, and my adrenaline started going,” she says.
Thirty minutes later, Jordan got her only goal of the game. Grace Lightfoot fed her with a free kick in the backfield, and Jordan found herself on a breakaway. She slide the ball past the Willard keeper to give Republic a 2-0 lead.
In the second half, Abbie Hicks slithered between a couple of defenders and somehow slid the ball past the goalie in the 48th minute, increasing the lead to 3-0.
Kayla Donjuan scored to make it 4-0 in the 59th minute when she crashed the box on a free kick by Jordan. Jordan banged the ball off the crossbar, but Donjuan was there to put it into the net.
The final goal of the night came in the 62nd minute, when Anna Jones scored on Jordan’s third assist of the night.
Coach Kevin Haucksays after Monday’s solid win, everything “seemed to click” for the Lady Tigers Tuesday night. That’s a product of having Jordan back in the lineup and allowing her to distribute the ball to the younger players around her.
“It helps when you have a player like EJ up top that you can play the ball into, and she can hold the ball and allow for things to develop around her,” Hauck says. “The games EJ missed, these younger girls were learning how to play off of the ball, but they had nobody to be able to play the ball to them. I feel like we were learning how to make runs and we were developing that when EJ was gone.”
From six goals in their first 14 games to ten goals in their last two games, Hauck says even he’s amazed to see such a quick improvement.
“I’m a little surprised on how quick it was. I think there’s definitely room for improvement, but it’s been a great turnaround for us and I’m excited to see us heading in the right direction,” he says.
The Lady Tigers improve to 5-11. They’re home against Marshfield Thursday night. The game will feature a fundraiser for the family of Republic elementary student Audrey Pearce, who’s battling a cancer diagnosis related to a heart transplant she received as a baby. She’s the younger sister of Lady Tiger Emma Pearce, who didn’t even realize her teammates had organized the fundraiser until recently.
“It means a lot to me. I was really thankful for it,” she says. “It happened before with her heart transplant, and now this. It was really hard for me and my family. I’m really thankful for because I wasn’t expecting it at all.”
The JV game will begin at 4:30 Thursday.
Farr Better Player of the Game
Emma Pearce scored a goal just one minute into the game, and it sparked the Lady Tigers to their second big win in as many nights. Pearce was around the ball most of the night, putting pressure on Willard’s defense, and she’s our Farr Better Player of the Game.
~When you need a plumber, you usually need one fast — but you also want one who’ll do the job right. In the Republic area, that’s Farr Better Plumbing. Call Farr Better and let them take away the stress of your plumbing problems. Call them at 864-8703 or check out their website.
Farr Better Player of the Game
~When you need a plumber, you usually need one fast — but you also want one who’ll do the job right. In the Republic area, that’s Farr Better Plumbing. Call Farr Better and let them take away the stress of your plumbing problems. Call them at 864-8703 or ~~check out their website~~.~
