By Blake Colston
Sports Editor
Piedmont’s Evie Sydnes says the first goal is always the hardest one to score. After that, it gets easier.
She proved prophetic on Tuesday night as the Lady Wildcats waited 10 minutes to find the back of the net for the first time then exploded for seven unanswered goals during an 8-0 rout of Duncan in a Class 5A playoff opener at F&M Bank Stadium.
Jordan Hahn beat two defenders for a goal in 10th minute to break a scoreless tie then Sydnes followed with another score two minutes later as Piedmont unleashed an avalanche of offense to pull away from the Demons.
“I think the positive energy from the bench and on the field kind of helped us get the momentum,” Sydnes said of Piedmont’s fast start. The Lady Wildcats converted 7 of their first 14 shots into goals.
“If we can continue to do anything close to that, we’re going to be a really good squad,” head coach Brad Brucker said.
Hahn, the Lady ‘Cats’ leading goal-scorer, collected her fourth hat trick of the season while racking up her team-best 17th, 18th and 19th goals of the season. The University of Central Oklahoma commit has totaled 13 scores in the last five games.
“She’s amazing. I’ve said all I can say about her and she just keeps doing the same thing,” Brucker said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s 1-0 or 10-0, she’s playing with the same fire all the time. She’s just a real joy coach.”
Ava Moser (’33), Ashley Fuller (’35) Callie Logan (’50) and Mallory Esau each scored once as Piedmont (10-5) racked up its third highest goal-total of the season while notching eight or more goals for the third time in four outings.
Ava Moser (‘33) w/ a missile to put @OkPiedmont in front 3-0. #OKpreps pic.twitter.com/iZCazlboEp
— Blake Colston (@CBlakeColston) May 2, 2023
Piedmont’s defense didn’t allow Duncan (7-7) to get a shot on goal as the Lady Wildcats dominated possession from start to finish, but PHS could face a stiffer test in its next game.
Piedmont on Friday will travel to Noble to face the Bears in the quarterfinals. On Tuesday, Noble beat Guymon for their sixth straight victory and 12th overall.
“Any team that’s got 10 wins or more is going to be a tougher match,” Brucker said.
A game time for Friday’s contest is still to be determined. Last season, PHS shutout Noble 4-0 in the quarterfinal round.
“The key (to Friday’s game) is bringing this positive energy back again,” Sydnes said.
