TRENTON — After a slow start, Alton Marquette found its rhythm in the second half, scoring five goals to secure a 7-1 victory over Maryville Christian in the regional semifinal Monday night.
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Marquette’s Parker Belick led the way with three goals. He opened the scoring at the 37:38 mark of the first half before William Waters added a goal to give the Explorers a 2-0 lead.
Maryville Christian answered when Maverick Mays found the back of the net, cutting the deficit to 2-1 before halftime.
Marquette came out firing in the second half, with Belick scoring his second goal of the night on a penalty kick.
Brock Woodward followed with a putback goal at the 29:13 mark to extend the lead. Parker Hough added another goal on a penalty kick to make it 5-1.
Logan Anderson scored at the 17:23 mark before Belick completed his hat trick to close out the 7-1 victory.
“We started out strong, then we hit a little lull. That team had a lot of pride. They battled and got back in the game and got that goal to make it 2-1, and they got more life. But then, in the second half, I thought that third goal opened the game up for us,” Marquette coach Brian Hoener said.
With the victory, Marquette advances to the regional championship, where the Explorers will face Father McGivney on Friday night.