The scoring
started early as Kristy Maholic found the corner of the Mt. Mary net in the
first minute of the game off a pass from Miranda Smith. Miranda then scored
her first of the game at the seven-minute mark, finishing a beautiful pass from
Kate Matthai. This was simply a sign of things to come as Miranda would find
the back of the net a total of four times in the match, her next coming only
three minutes later as she benefited from a pass from Kristy Maholic. Kristy
rediscovered her scoring touch as the Pioneers took a 4–0 lead. Miranda added two
more goals, coming at the twenty-fourth and twenty-ninth minutes, before
Abi Sexton finished another through ball from a Kate Matthai pass. With four
minutes left in the first half, Kate Matthai added a goal to go with her three
assists on the night.
As the teams
broke for halftime, the fans enjoyed supper on the field. As the second half
resumed, the rain really picked up, but it did not affect the flow of the game.
The second half looked like a rerun of the first with Northland International scoring three more
times. Kristy Maholic completed the hat trick, scoring unassisted in the fifty-fifth
minute. Sara Seering got in on the goal, scoring twelve minutes later as she
finished off a solo effort. The scoring was completed as Kate Matthai scored one-on-one in the eighty-third minute, giving her two goals and three assists on the
night.
Coach
Casteel was happy with the girls’ focus throughout the entire match as well as
their commitment to playing their system for the full ninety minutes. It was a home
opener to remember.