Photos by Kevin Nagle
Jacie McMahan scored two quick goals to cap off a half in which she and her Bryant Lady Hornets teammates poured in six goals in 29 minutes on the way to an 8-0 win over the struggling Benton Lady Panthers Thursday night.
Bryant improved to 11-0-2 overall and 6-0 in the South Conference with their ninth shutout. Benton was unable to muster a single shot on goal. The Lady Hornets unleashed 32 shots.
Seven different Lady Hornets had goals including McMahan’s two within less that three minutes midway through the first half.
“The girls played well,” stated Bryant coach Julie Long. “I was pleased with how they looked and the work they put on the field. They worked the ball around well and passed well, which was one of our main focus points this game.”
Anna Lowery put the first goal on the board less than 30 seconds in. Rori Whittaker assisted. The contest was not yet four minutes old when Hadley Dickinson drilled a goal off a nice feed from Taylor Matthews.
At 27:14, Kierra Solinger scored an unassisted goal and in quick succession Whittaker found the back of the net with Caroline Campbell, the team’s leading scorer on the season, providing the feed.
McMahan’s first goal was assisted by Lowery. It came at 15:07. She added the team’s sixth goal at 12:51.
The second half began with the mercy rule in effect (cutting the 40 minute half in half). Senior Thirza vld Weyde scored her first varsity goal at 9:46 to make it 7-0 and with 5:25 to go, Natalie Pierce put the finishing touches on the rout, scoring off a pass from Kendall Selig.
The match marked the start of the second go-round through the league. In the first round, they outscored five opponents 33-2.
Bryant will step out of conference for its next two matches, against Little Rock Central on Monday, April 21, and at Cabot on Thursday, April 24. They return to league action at home against Sheridan on Tuesday, April 29.
Kierra Solinger launches a shot. (Photo by Kevin Nagle)
