Evelyn, Daniel hat tricks pace New Kent 8-0 victory

Caroline Evelyn and Carrie Daniel registered hat tricks — three goals each — to lead New Kent to an easy 8-0 triumph over Southampton in the Lady Trojans’ field hockey home opener.

Tuesday’s win reversed a 0-2 start for the hosts. All of the decisions have come against non-district foes.

“I think it was a slow game, and the difference in skills showed up on both sides,” winning coach Julie Ellis said afterward. “We had better passing and better stick work than we did in our first two games.”

Two Evelyn goals and one apiece from Daniel and Kaitlyn McSweeney paced a 4-0 first half for New Kent. Daniel recorded the first and final scores after the break, sandwiched around Evelyn’s third goal and a shot drilled by Becky Butkus-Newman.

New Kent’s defense kept pressure off goalkeeper Maryon Wood, not allowing a single Southampton shot on goal. The hosts, meanwhile, unleashed 24 shots and forced the Indians to commit 27 fouls.

Ellis praised the work by her young team that features three freshmen and an equal number of sophomores helping to plug gaps in the lineup created by the loss last year of 11 seniors to graduation.

“I think there’s a lot of good things to come,” she said. “We’re making significant progress every week because we’re so young.”