Hosting Fort Wayne Bishop Luers Thursday evening, the Manchester girls soccer team was able to score early and often. The team cruised to a 4-0 win to get within a game of .500.
The Lady Squires began the game with purpose, keeping the ball at the Luers end of the field for a majority of the first five minutes. The aggressiveness paid off almost immediately for the home team, as a great lead pass by Campbell Bollinger found Hanna Stout behind the Luers defenders. Stout was onside, and finished the senior to senior connection off with a goal just five minutes into the contest.
Stout almost made it a brace just minutes later, but was thwarted by the keeper at the last second. The ensuing corner kick didn’t yield any results.
The next chance in the game belonged to the visitors, as Manchester keeper Cora Brown was forced to make her first save of the game at the 28-minute mark. It was a long shot that the freshman handled easily, but proved that Luers could generate some offense as well.
After a few more minutes of the Lady Squires controlling possession and pace, the visitors added another chance to their ledger. This one was a much better opportunity, a result of some precise passing near the box. The shot was out of the reach of Brown, but went off the post.
This woke Manchester up, and less than a minute later, the home side was on the attack again. Ava Sautter was able to connect with Stout just feet in front of the goal, and after a nice fake to get the goalie out of position, the senior buried her second score of the game.

    Junior Chase Blevins (L) of Manchester keeps the ball away from Brooklynn Gray of Bishop Luers during Thursday evening's home match...Nieter

That wouldn’t be the final goal of the half. After a free kick near their own goal with eight minutes left, the Lady Squires raced upfield, moving the ball incredibly well. The end result was a wide open Samantha Shock just inside the box, and she made it 3-0 with a beautiful shot that curved over the keeper’s head and into the back of the net. It would be the final score of a great first half for Manchester.
The first 10 minutes of the second half came and went without any drama. Both teams were able to possess the ball near the goal, but no shot attempts resulted from the offensive work. Holding a three goal advantage, the Lady Squires were content to play some tough defense and take their opportunities when they appeared.
A golden opportunity appeared with 20 minutes to go in the game, with London Spangle putting her name onto the scoresheet with a goal that made it 4-0. Raimi Vawter almost made it 5-0 just a minute later, but her shot was barely kept out of the net by the Lady Knights’ keeper.
The visitors had a few chances after the latest goal, forcing Brown into action once again. None of the shots she faced were difficult to deal with, and she handled them with ease to keep the shutout going.
The Lady Squires would get the shutout indeed, as the final whistle sounded to signify 80 minutes of Manchester domination.
Manchester (5-6) plays its next game Monday at Rochester.