HONESDALE — It certainly didn't take long for the Hornets to crank up their high octane offensive attack during their most recent Lackawanna League girls soccer match.
Honesdale hosted Dunmore Thursday evening on the turf at the Daniel J. O'Neill Sports Complex and wasted no time at all in unleashing a barrage of shots at the enemy net.
To their credit, the visiting Bucks did jump out to a one-goal lead, but that early goal only served as motivation for the first place Hornets.
Thanks in large part to the play of veteran forward Elizabeth Meagher, the home team retaliated with four goals of their own before intermission. And, by the time the final buzzer sounded, Honesdale had rolled to a 9-1 victory.
With this win, coach Becky Kretschmer's squad improved to 6-3-1 on the season. The Hornets are now 6-0-0 in league action and tied with Mountain View atop the Division II standings.
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“I'm so proud of these girls for not getting down on themselves after that early mistake on defense,” Kretschmer said. “This was truly a team win for us.”
Next up for Honesdale is a much-anticipated home match with Mountain View on Tuesday afternoon.
Milestone moment
Alisha Davis stunned the home crowd by getting behind Honesdale's defense and tallying an unassisted goal less than three minutes into Thursday's match.
The Hornets appeared momentarily surprised, but ultimately unfazed by the early 1-0 deficit. And, as has been the case all season, they turned to their scoring star to lead the counterattack.
Meagher is a senior captain and one of the top offensive threats in the entire Lackawanna League. She entered the match with 14 goals this fall and a total of 46 for her career.
“Elizabeth is a great all-around player,” Kretschmer said. “She's always been a strong ball handler with a powerful shot. Elizabeth has the ability to score from just about anywhere, but she's a very unselfish player, too. She never hesitates to pass the ball to one of her teammates.”
Meagher tied things up at the 31:04 mark courtesy of an assist from junior Vera Downey. Less than five minutes later, she gave the Hornets a lead they never relinquished via an unassisted goal.
Downey closed out the first half with two tallies of her own, one of which came off a Meagher assist.
After the break, Meagher put the game out of reach with back-to-backs goals within the first 10 minutes. Her fourth goal of the night, a highlight reel header off a corner kick, was also the 50 th of her varsity career.
“Elizabeth took home the game ball tonight,” said Kretschmer. “I'm very proud of her. She's so strong and such a good team player. I can't wait to see what she can do the rest of her senior season.”
Meagher is the fourth girl in her family to play varsity soccer for Honesdale. She scored seven goals as a freshman, nine during her sophomore season and 16 last fall.
Veteran leadership
This year's Honesdale team boasts a total of five captains.
In addition to Meagher, Madison VanBlarcom, Kierra Slish, Rachele Chee and Samantha Linn have been chosen for the honor. All are seniors and each brings an unique skill set to the pitch.
Linn is working her way back from injury and is already seeing consistent varsity time. She plays both in the midfield and on the back line.
“Samantha does a solid job in either spot,” Kretschmer said. “She's a good kid who really supports her teammates. We're happy to see her getting healthy and getting back out there.”
Chee is a multi-sport standout who also excels on the softball diamond. One of her main strengths is versatility as she can play up front, in the midfield or on defense.
“Rachele is a tough, athletic kid,” Kretschmer said. “She never lets up and fights for every loose ball.”
VanBlarcom is another versatile player who's a threat to score, but also a shutdown defender. She's typically stationed at the top of Honesdale's diamond.
“Madison is a great stopper on defense, but she's also hungry for goals,” Kretschmer said. “She can really bring the pressure offensively.”
Slish is quick, strong and explosive. She plays the outside left mid and is a threat to score from just about anywhere on the pitch.
“Kierra is one of our most determined players,” Kretschmer said. “She always gives 100 percent every second she's on the field.”
On the horizon
Honesdale is a veteran team with talent, depth and undeniable team chemistry.
The Hornets have swept their first six divisional matches of the season and turned in strong efforts against crossover opponents like Wallenpaupack Area and North Pocono.
“I definitely like what I'm seeing from these girls,” Kretschmer said. “They all work hard, they get along really well, and they have fun, too.”
The future looks bright as well since several under classmen are also carving out playing time at the varsity level.
Leading the charge is Arianna Valerio, a talented freshman who came off the bench against Dunmore to score a late hat trick and put the finishing touches on a 9-1 triumph.
This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: Meagher celebrates milestone moment in leading Honesdale to girls soccer win over Dunmore
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