Hawk Scores Twice as Red Raiders Improve to 11-3-1
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Baylor School's girls soccer team continued its strong play Tuesday night, earning a 4-1 victory over rival GPS in a key region matchup. The Red Raiders scored twice in each half to complete a season sweep of their longtime rival and improve to 11-3-1 overall and 6-1 in region play.
Baylor wasted little time getting on the scoreboard, striking in the fifth minute when Maddie Hawk finished a cross from Grace King to give the Red Raiders an early 1-0 advantage.
The lead doubled in the 22nd minute when Reese Rowlett connected with Ayanna Hamler, who found the back of the net to make it 2-0. Baylor carried that advantage into halftime.
The Red Raiders came out of the break with the same intensity they showed to open the match.
Just one minute into the second half, Hawk scored her second goal of the evening, finishing a cross from Helena Lima in the 41st minute to extend Baylor's lead to 3-0.
In the 52nd minute, Lima added a goal of her own, converting a cross from King to push the advantage to 4-0. The assist was King's second of the night.
GPS broke through in the 65th minute with a shot from the 18-yard line, but Baylor maintained control down the stretch to secure the 4-1 victory.
Following the match, Baylor head coach Curtis Blair praised his team's ability to start each half quickly while emphasizing the importance of maintaining consistency throughout the entire contest.
"I was proud of the start of the first half and the start of the second half, but we have to figure out how to play for 80 minutes," Blair said. "We played some great soccer but also gave the ball away in some really bad spots at times tonight."
The victory was especially meaningful for Baylor's seniors, who finished their final home rivalry matchup with another win over GPS.
"I was proud that we could send our seniors out with beating their rival school twice this year," Blair added. "Coach Sargent (Andy) had GPS organized and hard to break down at times. When you play your rival, you throw out the records and have to find a way to get a result, and we did tonight."
While Hawk's two-goal performance highlighted Baylor's offensive production, the Red Raiders also received strong contributions throughout the lineup.
Goalkeeper Ella Metzner was among the standouts, along with Charlotte Hoss, Abby Lewis, Brylee Faulkner, Kinsley Faulkner and Harley Elam.
King finished with two assists, while Rowlett and Lima each contributed an assist. Lima also added a goal, giving her a hand in two of Baylor's four scores.
With the victory, Baylor improves to 11-3-1 overall and 6-1 in region play, continuing to build momentum as the regular season winds down.
The Red Raiders now turn their attention to Thursday's road trip to Knoxville, where they will face Webb School of Knoxville in their final region match of the regular season.
"Now we have to travel to Webb for our last region match on Thursday," Blair said.
READ MORE: Baylor Girls Post 4-1 Region Soccer Win Over GPS - Chattanoogan.com
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