Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
HILLSBORO — It’s one thing for a team to have a lot of young talent … it’s another for that young talent to play with extreme confidence.
Hillsboro has earned solid wins over North Adams, Washington and reigning district champion Fairfield this season. All the Indians needed to add to its resume was a signature conference win, and they got exactly that on Tuesday.
Behind a stout defensive performance and the foot of Kobie Miles, Hillsboro (4-2, 2-1 FAC) controlled every aspect of the match and earned a 4-1 victory over defending FAC champion Jackson.
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
“These girls are really coming together as a team, and they had each other’s backs on the field,” Hillsboro coach Amanda Miller said. “We’ve struggled in the past to find offense and connect with the back of the net, but we’ve really found a good spot and we’re finally putting some goals in.”
Miles has had a knack for finding the back of the net at a high rate throughout the early part of the season. Going into Tuesday, she was responsible for 10 of the Indians’ 21 goals.
After the win, the Indians have now scored 25 times and Miles has 13 scores herself after her third hat trick this season.
She didn’t waste much time getting the night started, either.
Six minutes into the game, the ball ricocheted to her feet and she slid it past Jackson’s keeper to quickly put her Indians ahead 1-0 lead.
Minutes later, Jackson (6-2, 2-1 FAC) equalized when Sydney Carpenter outran the Indians’ back line and managed to get a touch before Hillsboro’s keeper could get the ball, finding the open net and tying the game at 1-1.
Miles, however, was only getting warmed up and continued to find herself at the right place at the right time. She connected on her second goal of the night, making it 2-1 Indians all the way to halftime.
From that moment on, it was all Hillsboro.
Understanding the angles that Jackson wanted to take at any time, the Indians closed out at the right moments and began to frustrate their opponent.
“Meredith Dietrick is a great leader on the back line as our sweeper. She’s constantly talking to the girls and we need that leadership because those other three have never played varsity soccer before,” Miller said. “She’s done such a great job showing them the way, as has [goalkeeper] Phoebe [Holland]. They’re both always talking and making sure everyone is on the same page defensively.”
Arianna Evans received the ball at her feet, thanks to a perfect kick from Peighton Bledsoe, and struck the back of the net for a 3-1 lead.
That goal was essentially the dagger, but Miles wanted to add a little insurance.
Despite finding herself between a Jackson defender and the team’s keeper, she never gave up and managed to get her foot on the ball before it could be scooped up, completing the hat trick and polishing off an Indian victory.
“We lost eight seniors last year, so we’re a super young team with a lot of first-time players or first-time starters,” Miller said. “But there’s been such improvement day after day by these girls, and it’s impressive to watch, but also a great feeling to see their work pay off on the field.”
Hillsboro returns to action on Thursday at Miami Trace in FAC action, while Jackson travels to Washington that same evening for conference play.
Hillsboro boys showcase dominance over Jackson
It took just 13 seconds on Tuesday to quickly realize that Hillsboro’s boys were ready to bring its game to Jackson. The Ironmen had no answer.
Furthermore, it took less than three minutes for the game to essentially be over.
Ryan Howland notched a pair of goals and that alone was more than enough to lead the Indians to a 3-1 victory over the Ironmen in FAC action.
Off the first touch, Hillsboro (4-1, 1-1 FAC) went straight into attack mode. Howland streaked down the field and was fed a pass that he stuck into the back of the net 13 seconds in for a 1-0 lead.
“It was kind of just the right place at the right time,” Howland said. “We were a little bit nervous coming into the game since we got back from fair break, and we typically don’t play very well until we’re a couple games back. It really just hyped up our team getting on the board that quick.”
Less than two minutes later, Wesley Bailey muscled his way through Jackson’s defense and connected on a goal of his own, extending the lead to 2-0.
10 minutes later, Howland played the ball off a perfect bounce and sent a rocket over Jackson’s keeper into the back of the net for the 3-0 advantage.
Jackson (5-3, 2-1 FAC) scored off a penalty kick by Landon Profitt, but the damage was already done as the Indians cruised to a conference victory.
“We have big goals this year and it starts with either winning a share of the FAC or winning it outright. I have no doubt that we can win the rest of our games this year,” Hillsboro’s Ryan Fender said. “Anything less is a failure. All of us care, practice hard and play harder. This is one of the best Hillsboro teams in a long time. But it’s still a game-by-game process and we have to play smart every single time.”
Hillsboro is back in action on Thursday at Miami Trace for FAC action, while Jackson hosts Unioto in non-conference action.
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