Behind junior Kecia Houpt’s second-half hat trick, Carl Junction picked up a non-conference win on the road against Branson on Friday.
The game was not only a victorious one for the Carl Junction team, but it was also their season-opener.
Even more significant, it was the first game played under the instruction of new head coach Ed Miller.
“We’re trying to figure some stuff out,” Miller said. “We have a new formation and we’re doing some different things they’re not used to. They’re trying to adjust to me as well as I’m trying to adjust to them.”
For Miller, they’re off to a great start so far.
Dominant with possession for much of the first frame, Branson struggled to dribble its way onto the Lady Bulldogs’ side of the field.
After a short back-and-forth period, Carl Junction’s Callie Degani sent one into the back of the net in the fourteenth minute. This would be the only goal made in the first half, giving the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead.
Both teams came out more aggressively as soon as the clock started counting down again.
But Houpt was more aggressive than the rest, pulling off the hat trick in the final 40 minutes of the game to ultimately secure the victory.
Refusing to go down without a fight, Cierra Groover added Branson’s only point to the scoreboard.
Also shining in the Branson spotlight Friday was goalkeeper Lauren Garrison, who holds the school’s saves record.
Six Carl Junction girls fired 25 shots at the Branson net, and Garrison blocked 21 of them (84-percent accuracy). The four goals she gave up Friday were the first she’s given up this season.
“She was an All-Conference All-District player last year as a freshman and every game she comes out and just continues to impress,” Branson head coach Brandon Scott said.
The loss marked Branson’s first of 2016 year (5-1), and it didn’t help that the Lady Pirates haven’t had much of a break since the start of their season.
“This is our sixth match in seven days, and that’s really hard to start the season,” Scott said. “We were worn down physically and it started to show, especially in that second half when they put three on us. We did get a goal late and it lifted our spirits a bit, but it was hard to get a lot of things going because we were so tired.”
Scott added, “We’re going to have a breakout year for our program. We’re still very young as a program in this area. We’re still kind of learning, and new to soccer. We’ve got so many girls starting to hit the club ranks and play outside of the season that they’re going to do a lot of things that were not done at Branson before. I’m very excited about this year.”
Branson will add onto its busy schedule with three more games next week. First up, the Lady Pirates will travel to Springfield on Monday to play Greenwood.
Carl Junction also has a busy week ahead, playing four games, including one in Kansas City. For their first, the girls will hit the road to Joplin on Monday.
First half:
- Callie Degani (1) – Carl Junction
Second half:
- Kecia Houpt (3) – Carl Junction
- Cierra Groover (1) – Branson
| 1H | 2H | F | |
| Carl Junction | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Branson | 0 | 1 | 1 |
