Correction: The first goal was scored by Paige Elsenraat, not Andie Wistrom as originally written.
Andie Wistrom and Paige Elsenraat each scored two goals and sophomore Ava Woolley delivered another precision score to lift Republic to a 5-0 road win at Carthage on a blustery Tuesday night. Republic stayed unbeaten in the West Division of the Central Ozark Conference. It was Republic’s first win at Carthage since 2017.
Elsenraat put Republic on top early, scoring just seven and a half minutes into the first half.
With a little over 11 minutes remaining in the half, Woolley lined up alongside Macey Mitchell for a free kick on the left wing 25 yards from the goal. After a feint by Mitchell, Woolley — who has delivered several precision strikes over the past several games — delivered a pinpoint shot across the box and into the upper right corner of the net to make it 2-0.
Just five minutes later, Wistrom got loose in the middle, threaded her way through the defense, and scored to give Republic a 3-0 lead.
Wistrom completed the hat trick by using her head. Maddie Randall delivered a perfectly placed corner kick from the left side. Wistrom jumped into the air and headed the ball into the left side of the goal just two and a half minutes into the second half. That made the score 4-0.
Another corner kick, with 7:15 remaining, wrapped up the scoring. Mitchell lofted a kick from the left side into the middle. Bria Claxton played it in from the ten-yard line, where Elsenraat redirected the ball past the Carthage keeper and into the net.
The defense took care of business when challenged, which was rarely. Awbree Berning needed only three saves to help the defense notch its ninth shutout of the season.
The win is the 14th of the year for Republic and it keeps the Lady Tigers unbeaten in COC West play. They’ll host Willard, also unbeaten in the league, with a chance to clinch a share of the league championship.
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