By Steve Carpenter
HCC Sports Information Director
The Hutchinson Community College women’s soccer team scored in the first minute of a game for the second time this season and netted the fastest goal in team history on Wednesday en route to a 5-0 victory over Northern Oklahoma at the USD 308 Athletic Complex.
Freshman Melissa Hetherington intercepted a bad Northern Oklahoma clearing attempt, made one touch and ripped a powerful shot from about 30 yards out past Maverick goalkeeper Ashleigh Trainer into the upper left corner of the goal just 33 seconds in for the fastest goal ever scored by the Lady Dragons to start a game.
“Sammy said get a quick goal,” said Hetherington, who earlier on Wednesday was named the NJCAA Division I Women’s Soccer National Player of the Week.
Earlier this season, it took only 58 seconds for Hutchinson to score against Pratt and 1 minute, 49 seconds to score against Hesston College.
“Something we’ve done well this year is to get off to a quick start in every game,” said HCC head coach Sammy Lane, whose team extended unbeaten streaks to 32 games at home and 41 games in the regular season. HCC has won 32 regular-season games in a row.
“It’s a great way to start a game, especially here at home. It’s something that we look to do. When we get the goals early, it takes the pressure off.”
Hutchinson has defeated Northern Oklahoma seven straight times.
Hetherington had two goals and an assist while sophomore Madison Joyce scored two goals to lead another dominant Lady Dragon performance. Sophomore Alicia Robinson had two more assists. HCC out-shot Northern Oklahoma (4-2) 35-2.
The Lady Dragons (6-0) posted their fifth consecutive shutout, the second-longest streak in team history. Freshman goalkeeper Eunice Figueroa earned her first career shutout with one save.
Hetherington scored the first two goals of the game. The second was assisted by Robinson in the 11th minute for a 2-0 lead.
“The kid just has a great knack for scoring goals,” Lane said. “The first one she hit an absolute bomb with the wind behind her. The second is more impressive because she’s falling down and she guides it toward the corner. That was a high-quality finish.”
Hutchinson was good on set pieces scoring on 2 of 8 corner kicks.
First, Joyce headed in a Robinson corner kick in the 26th minute for a 3-0 lead. Then freshman Shelbi Otte knocked home a goal from a header off a Chloe Basnett corner kick for a 4-0 lead.
Only one goal was scored in the second half at Hutchinson headed into a stiff northerly breeze. Hetherington beat the entire Northern Oklahoma defense to the ball just to the left of the goal, flicked it to Joyce, who scored from point-blank range in the 73rd minute for a 5-0 lead.
HCC outshot Northern Oklahoma 20-1 going with the wind and 15-1 going against it in the second half.
The Lady Dragons will close out a five-game-in-nine-day stretch with a Friday afternoon game against Western Nebraska in Scottsbluff, Neb.
GAME NOTES – This was program victory No. 97. … HCC is now 9-4 all-time vs. Northern Oklahoma. … Alicia Robinson is now tied with Johanna Adolfs for fourth on the career assists list with 21. … Hetherington now has scored a team-high 12 goals, six in the last two games. She is already tied for eighth on the HCC freshman goals list. … Robinson has a team-high eight assists. … HCC’s shutout streak has reached 475 minutes.