Taking two days to complete the game because of a lightning delay on Tuesday, the Lady Aces were clicking on all cylinders—led by seven goals from senior Maddie Hayden—defeating Apollo girls soccer 12-0 in the 2022 season opener.
Hayden picked up where she left off after a junior campaign in which she set scoring records, grabbing the first goal less than a minute in to make it a 1-0 game.
Hayden got two more shots in the 4th and 9th minute, but it wasn’t until the 11th that she was able to connect and make it 2-0. She kept applying pressure as well, making a tackle before she cut back and nailing one with her left foot to take a 3-0 lead in the 11th minute again.
Hayden earned two more goals by the 16th minute, scoring side net for the hat trick and on a rebound after a save from senior JoHannah Hutchinson to make it a 5-0 ballgame.
A few minutes later E-gals senior Aleia Henderson was hit with a handball call, which led to junior keeper Abby Payne sinking the penalty kick for her first career goal and 6-0 lead in the 23rd minute. Shortly after, the ball got loose in the box and Apollo fell behind 7-0 thanks to a header from junior Annie Helwig.
It was then that lighting caused a day-long delay, as play resumed on Wednesday at 8:15 p.m. after the rain had subsided. The Lady Aces offense didn’t lay off the gas either, as Hayden scored two more goals to notch a total of seven.
Helwig went on to nab two more goals as well, finishing with three on the night while junior Ginny Young rounded out the scoring in a dominant 12-0 win for Owensboro Catholic. And while their offensive prowess was clearly on display, defensively they held the E-gals scoreless and controlled possession for much of the game.
The Lady Aces sit at 1-0 overall after the first game of the season, as they will take on Graves County to open up the DC Classic at 9 and 10 a.m. on Saturday. Apollo, sitting at 0-1, will look to bounce back in its second straight road matchup when they face off with Breckinridge County at 6 p.m. on Thursday.
