Griffith hat trick keys New Kent 5-1 soccer win over Bruton

Lady Trojan Sydney Griffith (left), who completed a hat trick, gets tripped by Bruton's Erin Hunter in the first half.

Alan Chamberlain photos

Sydney Griffith put New Kent in front to stay with a pair of first half goals and completed the hat trick after the break to lead the Lady Trojans to a 5-1 soccer conquest of Bruton’s visiting Panthers.

Tuesday night’s win marked New Kent’s second in two days and lifted the hosts above the .500 mark to a 4-3 record.

“I think they did what they came out to do,” Lady Trojan coach Irene Bierie said concerning her players. “We played with more intensity and did a good job being aggressive and scoring.”

Griffith broke the scoreless deadlock 10 minutes into the opening half, picking off a Bruton goal kick and drilling a long shot past Panther keeper Pyper Johnson. With less than a minute before intermission, Griffith benefited from a Jhonae White assist. Her line drive shot caromed off Johnson into the net.

Bruton, momentarily, got back into the contest at the 26-minute mark of the second half. New Kent defenders lost track of Bruton’s Kamron Barker, enabling Barker to punch a shot past Lady Trojan keeper Sara Buchanan and close the gap to a single goal.

“We had a communication breakdown,” Bierie said, pointing to the Panther score. “But we were able to step it up after it got to 2-1.”

Four minutes later, the hosts answered with help from the defense. Johnson stopped a Griffith shot, but as she relinquished control of the ball, a teammate inadvertently bumped it over the goal line.

Another defense miscue set up New Kent’s next score. A hand ball violation in the box on the Panthers’ Elizabeth Almond led to Kristen Taylor’s penalty shot into the right corner of the goal past a diving Johnson.

With two minutes to play, Griffith earned the hat trick on a Sara Buchanan assist. Buchanan, meanwhile, spent most of the contest in goal for the hosts, recording eight saves.

New Kent owned a 26-17 edge in shots. Bruton’s Johnson was credited with 10 saves.

New Kent’s Talia Hohman (3) collides with Bruton’s Jasmine Singletary as both go after the ball.