Hahnville freshman Olivia Lendle said she felt some nerves before taking the field for her first-ever playoff match as Hahnville hosted Airline in round one, but that once the game began she felt right where she belonged.
And she certainly played like it.
Lendle scored three goals to lead Hahnville as the Lady Tigers surged to an 8-0 victory at Tiger Stadium and advanced to round two.
Ashlyn DeSoto scored twice, while Riley Folse, Lilly Hooper and Taylor Madere each added goals of their own in a dominant Hahnville victory.
For Lendle, the goals pushed her total this season to 21.
“I was very excited to play,” Lendle said. “I love these seniors – I love this whole team and I feel so lucky to play with them. I was a little nervous, but once I step on the field I always feel so much better. I have so much passion for the game and I wanted to play well.”
If those nerves weren’t all calmed already, they were once she scored her first goal of the day – just five minutes into the game.
“I felt relieved,” Lendle said. “Having that advantage to start the game was a lift … we talked before the game about getting out there and starting off with a bang.”
Hahnville (17-3-2), the fifth seed in Division I, was scheduled to face No. 12 Northshore (12-8-2) at 6:30 tonight at Tiger Stadium. Northshore defeated East Ascension 9-1 in the opening round to advance.
After wrapping up the regular season with a tie game against Destrehan – one that followed several days off of practice due to the snow event the area experienced that week – Hahnville looked ready to go from the start in this one. HHS head coach Edgar Fuentes said getting back into the flow of things was a focus heading into round one.
“The girls were hungry,” said Fuentes. “They’re motivated and they’ve had something to prove. We worked a lot on endurance, on speed of play, and it showed a lot today.”
Lendle’s performance was the latest big game for the freshman in what’s been a season of them.
“She and Lauren Oubre both as freshmen have really been stepping up big for us. (Lendle) is up to 21 goals now – that’s big time, and she’s only a freshman,” said Fuentes. “She has a nose for the goal. She doesn’t play around or try to make it fancy – she’s a straight up type of player, very physical, very fast and she gets it done.”
Lendle’s second goal came with 23 minutes left in the first half. Six minutes later, Hooper scored to put Hahnville ahead 3-0.
With 15 minutes left in the first half, Adelyn Bersuder made a nice save to stop an Airline threat. Shortly after, Folse drilled a shot from more than 20 yards out to push the lead to 4-0. DeSoto scored her first of the day just before half to make it 5-0.
Just as she did in the first half, Lendle got Hahnville rolling in the second half with a goal 13 minutes in. Madere and DeSoto capped the day off, DeSoto’s second score ending the game via the 8-goal rule.
After an 0-2 start, Hahnville has lost just once in its past 20 matches.
