After a huge win last Friday against cross-town rival Forest Hills Northern, the girls varsity soccer team looked to extend its winning streak on the road against Northview. Despite a slower start than last time against the Wildcats, FHC was still able to get the win in convincing fashion 5-1. A big part to this win was a hat-trick from senior Ashley Ward, as this is her second hat-trick of the year. Junior Jordan Helmbrecht and sophomore Elisha Strawser would round out the scoring for the Lady Rangers.

The first half was a slower start than expected for FHC. The Wildcat defense was picking off passes from FHC and got some opportunities at the net. As the game progressed, the tide started to turn in the Lady Rangers’ favor. The team started to connect passes better and got continuous offensive opportunities.

Ashley would break the scoring drought with four minutes left in the half, giving FHC a 1-0 lead and taking a little stress off the defense. Just a couple minutes later, Ashley would break away once again from the Northview defense and score her second goal of the game. The Lady Rangers would go into the locker room with a confident 2-0 lead.

FHC picked up right where it left off, as just three minutes into the second half, Ashley scored her third goal on the night. Continuing to get more shots on goal, just seven minutes later, Jordan Helmbrecht would score her first goal of the year with a nice chip shot over the Wildcat goalie. The Lady Rangers were able to get some fresh legs into the game, but this wouldn’t stop them from getting countless opportunities at the net.

This great offense couldn’t happen without some great defense. Junior goalie Hannah Becker made some phenomenal saves throughout the game to not only prevent many Northview goals but also to fuel some great passing from FHC, which led to some excellent offense. Sophomore Lily Vanskiver did a great job of passing the ball from the midfield to the offense, which was a big reason FHC got the opportunities it did. Elisha Strawser would put in the final goal for the Lady Rangers, and Northview finally found the back of the net with 10 minutes remaining in the game, but FHC would eventually win the ball game 5-1 behind some great offense.

The win puts the Lady Rangers’ record at 11-2 overall and 7-1 in the OK White conference. FHC is riding on an eight-game winning streak and will hope to carry this momentum into a Wednesday showdown against Cedar Springs. The Red Hawks are a very good team, as they tied a solid FHN team just a couple of weeks ago. If FHC can have a great game on both sides of the ball, look for the Lady Rangers to claim their ninth straight win come Wednesday night.