The next-to-last week of the regular season was particularly good for the varsity girls soccer team with four shut-out wins including a 1-0 victory over rival Mount Vernon and a 10-0 Senior Night win over South Tama.
Solon 3 Marquette Catholic 0
Sophia Link, Teagan Zearley, and Laney Johnson banged in three goals to win a non-conference match over Marquette Catholic Monday, May 11, in Bellevue. Link bombed the Defenders’ goal with a dozen shots while Johnson fired six volleys and Laeni Hinkle and Katherine Rolwes took three shots apiece. Audrey Heineman spent 73 minutes in goal with one save. Gable Knight had an uneventful seven minutes at keeper with no saves and no goals allowed.
Solon 10 South Tama 0
Tuesday, May 12, was Senior Night with Gable Knight, Audrey Heineman, Delainey Durr, Madelyn Pauley, Madyn Hahn, Pyeper Hurd, Paige Anderson, Sofia Ortega, and Emma Phelps recognized between the varsity girls and varsity boys matches. Making the sentimental evening even better was celebrating a 10-0 win over the visiting South Tama Trojans.
Sofia “Yoda” Ortega struck first ten minutes into the first half followed by junior Jillian Janssen tapping the ball in about seven minutes later. Ortega’s second goal was almost picked off by the Trojans’ keeper; however she bobbled it for the goal with just under 20 minutes left in the half. Ortega launched the ball to Sophia “Short Round” Link for a 4-0 lead with 15 minutes remaining and Link struck again about three minutes later. Yoda connected with Short Round again with just under six minutes left in the half, giving Link the hat trick and giving Solon a 6-0 lead. Kalynn Timmons, a junior, walked the ball in with 4:49 remaining for her second goal of the season.
Ortega opened the mercy rule-shortened second half with her third goal two minutes in while Delainey Durr notched her first goal of the season with 30:05 left on the clock. Link’s fourth goal hit the back of the net with 28:56 on the clock for the 10-0 final.
Solon 1 Mount Vernon 0
The Lady Spartans and archrival Mount Vernon Mustangs were set to tangle back on April 14, however, the weather had other ideas, which postponed the match to Thursday, May 14 on the Cornell College campus.
Sophia Link (six) and Laeni Hinkle (two) combined for eight shots at the Mustangs’ goal with two shots apiece considered “on goal,” and one shot by Hinkle finding the back of Mount Vernon’s goal.
Audrey “The Wall” Heineman made four saves in the fray as Solon improved to 10-3-1 and Mount Vernon dipped to 9-5-1.
Solon 1 Beckman Catholic 0
A scoreless stalemate at halftime was ended as Laney Johnson connected with Sophia Link, who broke through to score Saturday, May 16 for a 1-0 win over Beckman Catholic in Dyersville. The goal was Link’s 17th on the season for Solon’s leading scorer.