from HCC Sports Information
CHANUTE – After a white-knuckle season opener on Saturday, things were more comfortable in the second game of the 2011 season for the Hutchinson Community College women’s soccer team after a 3-0 Jayhawk West victory at Neosho County on Wednesday.
Freshman Sydney Armstrong and sophomore Madison Joyce scored first-half goals and sophomore Pearl Slattery netted her fourth goal of the season in the second half and Hutchinson won its 30th consecutive Jayhawk Conference game and extended its regular-season unbeaten streak to 37 games (36-0-1).
“We played so much better that on Saturday,” HCC head coach Sammy Lane said. “We were so much more in control defensively and we created as many scoring chances playing on turf that I can remember. This was a much, much better match and it looked like what I had envisioned at the start of the year.”
Hutchinson (2-0, 2-0 Jayhawk Conference) defeated Neosho County for the seventh-straight time, the last five by shutout. The Lady Dragons dominated in the midfield, a place where Cloud County exploited them in a 3-2 HCC victory on Saturday.
“Getting that first game in under our belt was big,” Slattery said. “We had so many offensive chances; it should have been seven or eight to nil. We played so much better and played more as a team.”
The Lady Dragons created 22 total shots, putting 12 on goal on an artificial surface that the Lady Dragons have routinely struggled on in the past. Neosho County goalkeeper Hayley Merrill had nine saves in the game.
Defensively, Hutchinson allowed just five shots and the only shot on goal didn’t come until the final minute of the game.
HCC starting goalkeeper Eunice Figueroa (2-0) didn’t see a shot on goal in playing the first 71 minutes. Emily Soza finished up for the combined shutout.
“We were just more in control,” said sophomore Logan Shupe, who was medically cleared to play on Monday. “We were much more comfortable with each other.
“Having Logan back really helped things out,” Lane said. “We have so many more options when she is back there. We control the ball so much better.”
Armstrong scored her first career goal when she headed in a pass from freshman Melissa Heatherington, who had her first collegiate assist) for a 1-0 Hutchinson lead. The goal came in the 31st minute. Just over 11 minutes later, sophomore Polly New tallied her second assist of the season when she connected with Joyce for her first goal of the season and a 2-0 Lady Dragon lead.
Slattery scored her fourth goal of the first two games of the season unassisted in the 55th minute to make it 3-0 HCC.
The Lady Dragons are now off until Sept. 7 when they play host to Pratt in the home opener at the USD 308 Athletic Complex.