McKENZIE, Tenn. – Playing against an old rival, No. 10 Martin Methodist seized control early and never looked back in a 5-0 win over Bethel (Tenn.) University Wednesday afternoon.
In a matchup of the two lone Southern States Athletic Conference schools in Tennessee, the RedHawks (6-1, 2-0 SSAC) used a combination of speed and skill to bombard the Wildcats (1-5, 0-2) early before finally breaking through for the match's opening goal in the 21st minute.
Senior captain Jennifer Loewen kicked off the scoring for the RedHawks, taking a corner kick from Anthoula Papaioannou and sending a header into the upper right corner of the Wildcat net.
Leading 1-0, the RedHawks extended their lead just eight minutes later when the RedHawks used brilliant one-touch passing to strike for their second goal of the match.
Heather Holley began the attack, streaking down the left sideline before slotting a pass to Lauren Badalamente, who ultimately found Taylor Samsel for a blistering shot into the upper left corner.
The goal marked the first of two on the afternoon for Samsel, who also struck for an unassisted goal in the 35th minute to extend the lead to 3-0. The pair of goals marked the third time this season in which the junior had scored two or more goals in a contest.
The RedHawks scored their final goal of the half in the 40th minute when Badalamente weaved through a pair of Lady Wildcat defenders and knuckled a shot into the lower left corner of the net.
In the second half, the RedHawks remained focused and pieced together their final goal of the match in the 66th minute, when Holly Napier finished a cross from Makenna Lehrman in front of the Lady Wildcat goal.
The five goals marked a season high for the RedHawks and the most they had scored in a match since a 6-2 win over Rocky Mountain (Mont.) College last November.
As a team, the RedHawks posted a whopping 29 shots, with nearly half (13) of the attempts on target.
Defensively, the RedHawks smothered the Lady Wildcats, holding them to just six shots on the afternoon.
RedHawk goalkeeper Aisling Dyer made a pair of saves in a spotless first half before giving way to Jhani Williams, who notched a save of her own to secure the shutout.
"It is always a good day to go on the road and get a result," RedHawks head coach Tyson John said. "We have come a long way toward honing our offensive attack and I think today was another step in the right direction. We had great efforts from a lot of our girls today in all three thirds. I was proud of our effort against an old rival."
With the win, the RedHawks remained perfect in the Southern States play, but will face a strong challenge when they host Auburn-Montgomery, a team currently receiving votes in the NAIA Women's Soccer Coaches' Top 25 Poll, Saturday afternoon.
"We could not be more excited to open up SSAC play at home this weekend," John said. "Especially against a program like AUM. We have spent the last four matches on the road so it will be nice to come home. We look forward to competing against such a quality opponent in front of our family, friends and fans."
Kickoff in Saturday's match is set for 1 p.m. at the East Campus Soccer Complex in Pulaski.
