The season opener often involves anxiety and uncertainty. For the New Kent State Lady Trojans soccer team, those fears disappeared after a scoreless first half.
New Kent scored five goals in a 5-0 shutout victory over the visiting Colonial Heights Lady Colonials in their home opener on March 12.
In the first half, New Kent missed several easy scoring opportunities. The Lady Colonials, on the other hand, weren't behind either and struggled to find the back of the net. As a result, the first half ended scoreless.
However, in the second half, the hosts became the aggressors on the pitch. Michelle Drake crossed the line at 29:49 to give New Kent the lead. Just two minutes later, Morgan Sharazny's lead pass was assisted by Savannah Greiner for a score. The third goal was scored by Bianca Yates at 20:59, followed immediately by Sharasny's 35-yard kick into the back of the net, extending New Kent's lead to 4-0.
Meanwhile, New Kent's defense frustrated the visiting team, although Lady Trojans goaltender Emily Ward did not take a shot in the second half. Meanwhile, Greiner scored his second goal of the night at 7:18, the final point of the game for the hosts.
After the contest, New Kent Lady Trojans first-year head coach Stella Follett spoke about her team's season-opening victory.
“In the second half, we were more intentional about scoring our own goals,” she said. “We focused on making shots without panicking. We had a different strategy in the first half and it worked well and we were able to stay calm to win this game. ”
The New Kent Lady Trojans improved to 1-0 on the season.