HARDWICK – The Hazen Union girls soccer team showed flashes of their high-powered offense last week, but their defense couldn’t hold up against Division II Lake Region as they dropped a shootout in their season opener.
photo by Vanessa Fournier
Avery Hansen and Maeda Urie were a thorn in the Lady Cat defense all day on Saturday, combining to score all five goals, powering Lake Region to a 5-3 road win.
Mya Lumsden gave Hazen an early 1-0 advantage, finishing a rebound off an Isabelle Gouin rocket ten minutes into the match.
Urie beat Hazen keeper Ella Renaud near post less than a minute later to make it 1-1 and gave her team the lead midway through the first half as the Lady Cat defense struggled to clear the ball out of the box. Gouin found the equalizer minutes later, gathering a long free kick from Julia des Groseilliers in the defensive third, outracing two defenders along the way.
Hansen gave Lake Region the lead for good with twelve minutes left in the first half, finishing off a perfectly placed through ball. She beat multiple Lady Cat defenders a minute later to give the visitors a 4-2 edge heading into the break.
photo by Vanessa Fournier
“Hansen and Urie are impressive up top, and were able to capitalize on scoring opportunities, but we never let up. I was especially proud of how we came out with intensity in the second half despite the score. Our goal was to answer back within the first five minutes of the second half,” said head coach Megan Mercier.
Gouin met that goal with eleven seconds to spare as the Vermont All-Stater left the Lady Ranger defense in the dust once again to make it 4-3. Hansen completed the hat-trick eight minutes later, taking advantage of space, dribbling once to her right, and unleashing a rocket from outside the eighteen to end the scoring on the day. Renaud was under siege all day, turning away 17 shots in the loss. Nora Demain was equally as busy for Lake Region, making 13 saves to earn the win.
“I was very proud of how hard our team worked in a long, even battle from start to finish. The final wasn’t the outcome we wanted, but there were many positives that we’ll take away and build on as we progress through our season,” said Mercier.
The Lady Cats will look to get the defense back on track Wednesday as they host Peoples Academy. They will stay at Hudson Fields for a Homecoming Weekend Saturday match-up against Missisquoi Valley Union. Kick-off time is scheduled for 11 a.m. All home games can be streamed live on Hardwick Community Television (hctv.us).
