GLEN CARBON – Conditions for Monday's girls soccer match between McGivney Catholic and Centralia weren't the best.
Temperatures were in the low 40s and a stiff wind blew throughout the match, but the Griffins didn't let the conditions bother them as Macy Hoppes scored twice to lead McGivney to a 5-0 win over the Annies; the Griffins improved to 5-8-0 on the season with the win.
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“It's the middle of April, it's 30 degrees and cold and windy – not ideal, but we're out here and playing the game,” said Griffin coach Tim Vance of Monday's conditions. “We'll take the win – the girls played well. We had the wind in the first half, so we were able to score an early goal and then we had three by halftime; it was a good way to start the game.”
Hoppes' brace was a key to the Griffin win, Vance felt. “She's a big part of our attack,' Vance said of the sophomore. “She scored two and could have had some more, but she played with confidence and she got us going.”
The Griffins have a young team this year – the roster lists just five juniors or seniors – but as the season has gone on, the Griffins have kept improving. “We're getting better,” Vance said. “We're 5-8 now and we're improving. We're finding players in the right spots and as the season has gone on, we're getting better.
“We're young and we're just looking to get better.”
Hoppes got the opening goal for McGivney in the 17th minute when she got a feed from Madasyn Wasser and found the back of the net to put McGivney up 1-0; Wasser herself scored nine minutes later as a shot from her went into the goal to extend the McGivney lead to 2-0, which was then followed by a 39th-minute goal from Guin Smith that sent the Griffins into the break up 3-0.
Not long after the second half began, the lead went up to 4-0 when Hoppes got a pass from Megan Smith and scored in the 46th minute; Kendyll Speight closed out the scoring in the 61st minute when she scored from an assist from Jayde Speight.
Megan Smith and Natalie Raymer shared the clean sheet for the Griffins on the day. The Griffins host East Alton-Wood River at 4:30 p.m. Thursday and Decatur St. Teresa at 4:30 p.m. Friday.
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