By Cyndy Slovak-Barton.
Maintaining their first place hold on the district title, the Hays High girls soccer team buffaloed Giddings, with Mila Bustos completing a hat trick for three of five Rebel goals.
The final score was 5-0, with the last Rebel goal coming in the last five minutes of the game.
But it wasn’t quite a runaway game, despite the score, as two Lady Buffaloes, defender Janay Wilson and sweeper McKenna Namken held together the Giddings team.
Bustos made the first goal for the Rebels as the clock ticked to 27:00 in the first half. It was almost ten minutes later before Giddings made their first real shot on goal, and it was a near miss to the right.
Lady Rebel forward Alexis Cowher pushes two Giddings defenders out of the way before heading the ball during Hays’ 5-0 tromping of the Lady Buffaloes. Hays remains in first place in district at the end of its first half of season play.(Photo by Cyndy Slovak-Barton) |
But the Rebels took the ball right back to push Giddings, with several shots on goal, pounding the Lady Buffaloes’ keeper.
Hays’ second goal by Kayla Humphries at 3:46 in the first half came from a feed from the left side of the field, driving deep into the net.
The Lady Rebels drove hard at the beginning of the second half, with two shots on goal within the first two minutes. Minutes later at 26:48 and again at 26:00 more shots were flying as a frustrated Giddings keeper dove to keep the Rebels from scoring again.
But Bustos again scored with 8 minutes left as her shot bounced off the crossbar past the Giddings’ keeper.
The Lady Rebels were dealt a blow when Hays’ Mercedes Gilmore rolled her ankle and was taken off the field on crutches. No word at the end of the game on her future play.
With the clock ticking down, Mariah Gaitan scored just a minute later, to bring the score to 4-0.
Bustos pulled off her hat trick with just a few minutes left in the game with a shot from 20 yards out that soared over the head of the keeper.
Hays coach Brent Holcombe was happy with the outcome of the game.
“Tonight, our combination play was probably as good as it’s been (all season),” he said. “We had very good passing tonight.”
The Lady Rebels take on Lockhart for the second time in district play Friday.
