Baylor's Bella White goes up for a header as East Hamilton's Madison Buckner defends.
photo by Greg Davick
The eight-time Girls’ Soccer state champions, Baylor, registered a 5-1 win over East Hamilton in their season opener on Tuesday.
The Lady Red Raiders got the scoring started midway through the first half when junior Sophia Mead made a run down the right flank. She got to the baseline and cut the ball back centrally to the top of the 18 yard box where sophomore Brazilian exchange student Melissa Oliveira took a touch and fired her shot through a crowd to find the bottom right corner.
Oliveira found the back of the net a second time after Baylor was awarded a penalty kick. She arrowed her shot into the bottom left corner to give the home side a 2-0 advantage.
Oliveira completed her hat trick in style when she hit one from distance that sailed over the helpless East Hamilton goalkeeper to give the Lady Red Raiders a 3-0 lead.
“It’s going to be a good memory, because it’s my first hat trick with Baylor,” said Oliveira.
Baylor Head Coach Curtis Blair explained that sometimes it takes time for international players to adjust to the American game, but he is very excited about her future.
“She (Oliveira) has the technical ability, she’s athletic, she’s pacey, and it’s just trying to get her to understand when to go forward and when to drop back,” said Coach Blair.
The Hurricanes responded soon after Baylor’s third when junior Malia Drumeller broke away from the defenders and calmly nestled her shot into the bottom left corner. She nearly scored again on another breakaway, but could not find the finishing touch the second time around.
It was Baylor’s night as they got their fourth goal through freshman Bella White. White’s initial shot was saved but the rebound fell kindly for her and she made no mistake the second time as she slotted the ball into the bottom right corner.
Baylor’s fifth and final goal came after a shot ricocheted off the cross bar before being poked in by sophomore Zoe Stalvey.
Baylor has a young roster with big expectations, but Coach Blair is expecting one thing every game from his side.
“As a group our expectation is to get better every time we step out on the field… each day we want to be better than the last.”
Both teams will be back in action this weekend in the Baylor Tournament.
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The St. Andrew’s-Sewanee School Girls’ varsity soccer team lost to Community School 5-1 on Tuesday.
The Mountain Lions goal was scored by Sarah Grace Burns on a penalty kick that was earned by a great run in the box from Verena Pate.
According to SAS Coach Camp, "The team worked hard and showed a lot of improvement throughout the game."
The team’s next game will be Friday when they travel to Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences.