GATES MILLS– After a scoreless first half, Hawken erupted for three goals in the final 25 minutes to defeat visiting North, 3-0, in a nonconference matchup on Tuesday.
Caroline Briggs opened the scoring with a penalty kick at the 25:04 mark of the second half. Rosie Hardacre and Sophina Cowen followed with goals at 17:02 and 4:54, respectively, to secure the win.
“It was so important,” said Hawken coach Adam Severs of Briggs’ penalty kick. “We’ve had this happen now two games recently where we’re 0-0 at the half, but we’ve been knocking on the door thinking we’re about to score, and I knew that whoever was going to score that first goal was going to have momentum the rest of the way. Funny enough, our normal penalty kick taker, who normally practices, is Sophia Cicerini, a senior forward and midfielder who was actually out of the game on a breather. Caroline drew the PK, so I feel like she deserved it. She stepped up and hit it.”
With the first goal on the board, Hawken quickly built on its momentum with two more strikes to pull away.
“It’s everything to get a couple more goals, to get momentum and to get confidence,” Severs said. “We’ve been a team the last few years that’s been pretty solid defensively. We’ve been pretty solid in the midfield, but finishing has always been the hardest part for us. We’ve lost a lot of games by one goal, 1-0, 2-0 the last couple years, so to see the ball get in the net and to see the confidence grow in the girls that they can finish and they can win games, 2-0 and 3-0, it’ll go a long way for the rest of the season.”
Severs credited Briggs’ position switch from defense to forward as a key to the Hawks’ offensive surge.
“It’s so important,” Severs said. “A big emphasis this year is on aggression and anticipation in the final third. Just assume you’re going to get the ball with the chance to score. Assume that ball is getting in the box for you, cut inside the defender and go right at the goalie. I also moved a starting center back the last two years, Caroline Briggs, up to forward the last two games. I just thought it was important to get my best athlete up there and someone who is aggressive and fast and has a nose for the goal. And it’s paid off. She has three goals in two games.”
For North, it was another lesson learned as the young roster continues to gain experience.
“Even though the score was 3-0, one of the things we have to take into consideration is we’re playing a lot of kids who have never played varsity before, but we’re going out and putting 60 minutes together,” Richter said. “It’s just that last 20 minutes, and I think that comes from experience. As we keep progressing in the season, that 20 minutes is going to come. So I know 3-0 is not what we wanted, but considering some of our inexperience and how they’re responding, I can live with the score.”
North goalkeeper Emma Spina kept her team in the game as long as she could, recording 10 saves, many of them highlight-worthy.
“Emma is kind of right now defensively, the heart and soul of the team,” said North coach Samantha Richter. “You saw it; she’ll put her body out there for anything. She’s worked really, really hard for this, and honestly, I couldn’t ask for anything else. You really could not ask for more.”
Hawken improved to 2-0-1 on the season and now turns its attention to a key conference game at Lutheran West on Thursday.
“It’s huge because we play Lutheran West, a conference foe, on Thursday, so to get this win in our back pocket and be prepared for that game is everything,” Severs said. “We’ve got a night game at Lutheran West and we’re going to be prepared.”
North dropped to 1-3 and will travel to Cornerstone Christian on Saturday.
Cameron Palmer contributed to this story.
