Trinity Lutheran’s Emma Myers strikes the ball against Southwestern during a sectional match on Tuesday. Myers scored five goals to help the Cougars win 7-0. She holds the season and career goal records at Trinity.
Arv Koontz | The Tribune
Trinity Lutheran’s Delaney Williams moves the ball past Southwestern’s Layla Jones during sectional match Tuesday. The Cougars won 7-0.
Arv Koontz | The Tribune
Emma Myers will have long and happy memories of her first sectional soccer match her senior year at Trinity Lutheran High School.
It unfolded Tuesday night when she scored five goals to lead the Cougars to a 7-0 win over Southwestern (Hanover).
With her goals, Myers passed Kailene Cockerham for goals in a career as she has 68 (old record 63), and she now has 37 goals this season. Maddy Roark held the old season record at 36.
“It’s exciting,’’ Myers said about holding the record. “First I would like to thank God for giving me the opportunity to obviously play on this team. I’ve worked hard for it. This is something I’ve been working for.
“I don’t think I would get the same opportunity at any other school, just being able to start my freshman year and be able to play the whole game and have players that would pass up to me and work together well and get me and other people the ball so I could create the opportunities.”
Myers then credited her teammates.
“I really wouldn’t be able to do it without the defense, especially Kathryn (Whitmore) back there being able to clear it and work hard and boot those balls up so I can dribble and get the shot off, and especially Kaydence (Miller) this year helping me on offense,” she said. “It’s really helpful to have that person to just kind of work together with to get open shots.”
The Myers family moved to Indiana when Emma was in eighth grade. She played club soccer in Columbus and more recently played for Indy Premier.
Trinity head coach Thom Hayes said, “I would love to say that I deserve the credit of who she is but it was probably her club coaches (from Columbus who were in attendance Tuesday night). I just do my best to teach her what I can teach her. I think she has learned some things here at Trinity. Her dad (Gary) has been a great assistant coach as well so between the two of us we’re very proud of her. This is especially special because she has been the workhorse for the last four years.”
The Cougars dominated Tuesday night by outshooting the Rebels 14-1 in the first half and 33-0 in the second half. Trinity goalie Samantha Enzinger had one save in the first half.
Southwestern coach Nancy Totten used a different style defense throughout the first half by having her sweeper stand right beside the goalie, and the Cougars managed only a 1-0 lead at the half.
A Southwestern player was called for a handball, and Myers took advantage by putting a free kick in the back of the net at 8:49 for the only score of the first half.
Hayes said, “I was happy the way the girls responded to my halftime talk. We just faced this team a week ago Monday (winning 4-2). They pretty much clog up the middle with the whole team on defense.”
Myers said, “It was a little frustrating in the first half because I kept missing those shots. In the second half I think we kind of calmed down a little bit and it worked a lot better.”
Myers finally scored Trinity’s second goal at 30:11 of the second half and that opened the floodgates as Bailey Reimer recovered a loose ball off a corner and put it in at 28:24, and 31 seconds later Myers made it 4-0.
Myers had two more goals and Emalee Goss scored a goal. Miller had two assists and Myers had one assist.
Southwestern ended up 1-10-1 while Trinity will take a record of 10-7 into Thursday’s 7 p.m. match against Austin (0-12-1). Trinity blanked Austin 6-0 earlier in the season.
The sectional on Thursday will start at 5 p.m. with Brown County playing Providence.
In the boys sectional tonight at Trinity, Christian Academy will play Rock Creek at 5 p.m. and Lanesville will face Austin at 7 p.m.