The Crookston Pirates Girls’ soccer team had a rough first half and the Hibbing Bluejackets pulled away for an 8-0 lead, as two players recorded hat tricks, in a game played in Hibbing on Saturday afternoon.
FIRST HALF –
Hibbing came out strong. Two minutes into the game, they had a kick on goal. The Pirate keeper made the save, and the rebound popped out in front of the net. A Hibbing player kicked the ball off the right post, initial save, and the game was still scoreless.
Just over six minutes into the game, Hibbing’s Isabella Moenkedick kicked the ball on goal and it deflected off the Pirate keeper and slowly rolled off her hands and into the net to give Hibbing a 1-0 lead. Seven seconds later, Hibbing’s Brynn Babich got the ball and sprinted by the Pirate defenders and had a breakaway and kicked the ball into the net for a 2-0 lead.
Less than two minutes later, Hibbing had another shot on goal, but the Pirate keeper Shyuh Burnette made the save. Crookston had its first quality scoring chance nine minutes into the game, but the Hibbing keeper made the save.
The game was even for a few minutes before Crookston put pressure on the Hibbing defense, and a Pirate was taken down in the box, and a penalty kick was awarded. Madelyn Knutson kicked a line drive at the next, and it hit off the crossbar. Three minutes later, Hibbing had another breakaway as Babich was on the left side of the Pirate net and let a left-footed kick fly into the right-hand corner of the net on a perfectly placed kick to give the Bluejackets a 3-0 lead with 25 minutes left in the half.
About 12 minutes later, Hibbing’s Babich struck again as she sped behind the Pirate defense for another breakaway and scored on a kick to the right corner of the net again for a hat trick and a 4-0 Bluejacket lead with 13 :16 left in the half.
Hibbing struck again with 9:20 left in the half as Moenkedick scored her second goal of the game to give the Bluejackets a 5-0 lead. Hibbing took a 5-0 lead into halftime.
SECOND HALF –
Hibbing continued to put pressure on the Pirate defense at the start of the second half, and just shy of eight minutes into the half, the Bluejackets had a corner kick and Aylah Abate found the ball in front of the net, and she kicked it into the net for a 6-0 lead. Less than eight minutes later, Hibbing’s Brandace Randa-Sauter got the loose ball in front of the net and booted the ball into the net for a 7-0 lead with 25 minutes left in the game.
Crookston had two scoring opportunities, but both times the kick was saved and missed the net. Hibbing kept using its outstanding speed and Moenkedick snuck behind the Pirate defense and snuck a shot into the right corner of the net for an 8-0 lead with 1:28 left in the game. Hibbing won the game 8-0.
Crookston drops to 1-10 on the year and will travel to Bemidji on Tuesday.
Click below to listen to Coach Sarah Reese’s postgame comments-
| 1st | 2nd | Final | |
| Crookston | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Hibbing | 5 | 3 | 8 |
Scoring –
6:16 – Hibbing – Isabella Moenkedick
6:23 – Hibbing – Brynn Babich
14:42 – Hibbing – Brynn Babich
26:44 – Hibbing – Brynn Babich
30:40 – Hibbing – Isabella Moenkedick
47:55 – Hibbing – Aylah Abate
55:15 – Hibbing – Brandace Randa-Sauter
78:28 – Hibbing – Isabella Moenkedick
| SAVES | 1 | 2 | Final |
| Shyuh Burnette – Crox | 10 | 5 | 15 |
| Kylie Maki – Hibbing | 3 | 4 | 7 |
