SOCCER: Tietz, Daniels net hat trick for Lady Zebras in shutout win over Hale; boys lose third-straight

Apr. 7—Claremore girls soccer put on a dominant performance Thursday night.

The Lady Zebras were led by sophomore forward Abby Tietz and senior midfielder Kinley Daniels, who each scored hat tricks in the lopsided 10-0 mercy rule victory over Nathan Hale.

The scoring started early, as Tietz put Claremore on the board with just over five minutes gone in the game. The floodgates opened from there, with Daniels and Tietz combining to score four of five goals before halftime.

The Lady Zebras continued to pile on the goals in the second half, with Daniels scoring twice more Tietz ones while MacKenzie Bacon found the back of the net before Italya Lona's goal invoked the mercy rule with just under 30 minutes remaining.

The win was a much-needed confidence boost for Claremore, who improved its record to 2-5 overall and 2-1 in District 5A-4. For the Lady Rangers, it was another tough loss in a winless season that has seen them outscored 39-0 so far.

The Lady Zebras dominated the game from start to finish, with their offensive prowess on full display.

Tietz scored the first goal on a putback from an Avery Roseberry shot that was deflected by the goalkeeper with 35:48 remaining in the first. That was just the beginning of what would be an incredible display of skill and teamwork by Claremore.

Less than two minutes later, freshman Marlie Gaudette sent a cross in to Tietz, who split two defenders to find Heath. Heath then chipped the ball over the goalkeeper's head with 33:52 remaining, and she would have scored again just over two minutes later after rebounding a 20-yard shot from Daniels if not for an offside call from the official.

Later, Daniels escaped a pair of defenders before delivering a through-ball to Tietz, who snuck behind the defense and scored on an uncontested shot from 14 yards out with 25:30 remaining in the first half to push the Claremore lead to 3-0.

The Lady Zebras continued to dominate but were unable to find the back of the net again until the 16:19 mark when they were awarded a penalty kick after Nathan Hale was whistled for a handball in the box following a corner kick.

Senior Mya Diaz's shot was called off, though, and she missed the ensuing rekick off the crossbar.

Claremore increased its lead to 4-0 after an own goal off a Daniels cross with 7:49 until halftime, and she soon followed with a goal herself after receiving a pass from junior Kat Molster, using her right foot to rocket the ball to the top left corner of the goal at the 3:41 mark.

The Lady Zebras led 5-0 at halftime but didn't take their foot off the pedal in the second half, with Tietz scoring the first goal with less than two minutes expired after intercepting a goal kick and launching the ball over the keeper's head with a right-footed 11-yard shot.

Two minutes later with 36:06 remaining, sophomore Kennedy Freeman crossed to Daniels, who sent the ball across the keeper's body and into the bottom left corner of the net on an 11-yard shot, increasing the lead to 7-0.

Freeman and Daniels connected again exactly three minutes later, with the latter using an assist from the former to kick the ball into the bottom center of the net for an 8-0 margin.

Bacon scored at the 31:40 mark on a 34-yard free kick, which bounced twice before coming to a rest in the left corner of the net for the Lady Zebras' ninth goal.

Claremore was relentless in its pursuit of goals and never let up, even with the game well in hand.

Lona scored the final goal off a corner kick from junior Mia Silversmith with 28:45 remaining, ending the game.

BOYS — NATHAN HALE 2, CLAREMORE 1

The Zebras came out strong, dominating time of possession in the first half and taking the lead with a stunning goal from senior Ethan Henshall.

Senior Tate Hepler set up the play, dancing around two defenders before delivering a perfectly placed cross to Henshall. With impressive control, Henshall executed a low scissor kick that found the back of the net with 36:49 remaining in the first half, sending the Claremore fans into a frenzy.

However, Claremore's joy was shortlived as it failed to get another shot on target for the rest of the game, and it was Nathan Hale who left Lantow Field with a 2-1 victory on Thursday night.

The Rangers flipped the script in the second half, spending most of the 40 minutes with the ball in their possession.

They delivered a 25-yard right-footed shot that seemed to be the equalizer with 34:02 remaining, but the goal was disallowed due to a foul call.

Nathan Hale did not give up, though, and was able to tie the game with a 26-yard free kick at the 28:55 mark, leaving Claremore fans nervous and anxious.

Both teams battled fiercely for the go-ahead goal, but it was the Rangers who ultimately prevailed thanks to a player who managed to slip the ball past goalkeeper Cayden Arthur and into the net after receiving a well-placed long pass with just over 17 minutes remaining in the game.

The Zebras fought hard in the closing minutes, but their last chance fell short when Zane Hepler's shot went wide left and was corralled by the keeper with 0:56 remaining.

The loss extended the Claremore's losing streak to three games, leaving them with a 3-5 overall record and an 0-3 tally in District 5A-4.

Meanwhile, Nathan Hale improved their record to 2-2 and 2-1 in district.