Irwin’s hat trick lifts Lakeview to win over Struthers
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CORTLAND -- Lakeview snapped a three-match losing streak Wednesday, shutting out winless Northeast 8 Conference (NE8) rival Struthers 5-0 in Cortland as Sophie Irwin scored a hat trick.
"I thought we played really well," Lakeview head coach Heather Sferra said. "We were getting our passes connected and really taking what we learned at practice and applying it to the game tonight."
The Wildcats, who have yet to score through nine games this season, fell behind less than two-and-a-half minutes after kickoff, when Irwin, the Bulldogs' captain, lobbed the ball from more than 25 yards out and over the head of Struthers goalkeeper Izabella Shetter.
Lilliann Marra doubled Lakeview's lead in the 10th minute after the Wildcats could not clear the ball out of their end. Marra, much like Irwin on the game's first goal, lifted her shot over Shetter's head.
A little more than 15 minutes into the match, Chloe Muncie gave the Bulldogs a 3-0 advantage when Shetter got a hand on a corner kick by Irwin. The deflection was not enough, though, as the ball went to Muncie, who headed it into the net.
Irwin scored her second of three goals on the night with 6:21 remaining in the half to give Lakeview a 4-0 lead at the break.
"She just really works the ball off her feet, finding open space, finding other players, taking the shots when they're available," Sferra said of Irwin.
For Struthers, the four-goal deficit represented a slim margin by comparison of many of its games this season, including one week earlier when the Wildcats trailed Springfield 12-0 after 40 minutes.
"They realized that they work better, and they're starting to become a team again, and they're realizing this is team sport," Struthers head coach Samantha DuBois said. "I think they got the confidence in themselves, and they just showed up. They started playing together and just really made an impact with each other."
By scoring the only goal of the second half, Irwin completed her hat trick with 24:50 left to go.
Struthers, while falling to 0-9 overall and 0-8 in the NE8, recorded its first single-digit loss of the season Wednesday in Cortland. The Wildcats had lost by an average margin of 12 goals entering their meeting with Lakeview.
Struthers will next play Poland, which the Wildcats host today.
"Honestly, I'm really proud of these girls," DuBois said. "Like I said before, we're a second-half team, and that is probably the best round of soccer I've seen them play this year.
"We had so many more plays together; the confidence is building. ... We tell the girls don't focus on the score," she added. "Our biggest thing is, how do you feel after the game? They played remarkable even though we lost. The fact that we kept them to only one goal in the second half, I couldn't be prouder."
With the win, the Bulldogs ended their skid and improved to 3-8 on the season and 2-6 in NE8 play. They will be back in action Monday at Poland.
"The girls really needed [the win], especially mentally. I know they feel really good about it," Sferra said. "They do the right things at practice, so to finally see it pay off is definitely worth a lot.
"We want to just be 1% better each game and every day at practice," she added. "So we just keep on telling ourselves that. And if we improve game by game, that's all we can ask for."