AURORA | Jessica Hixson came into Tuesday evening’s Centennial League girls soccer showdown with 34 career goals, but none so far in the 2017 season.
A stalwart defender moved up to the midfield by coach Tari Wood, the Grandview senior finally got on the scoresheet with a second-half goal that turned out to be the game-winner in the Wolves’ 3-2 victory over Cherokee Trail at Legacy Stadium.
Juniors Natalie Beckman and Morgan Szarka scored first-half goals for two-time defending Class 5A state champion Grandview, which won its third straight game after an 0-2 start and beat the rival Cougars for the sixth straight time.
Cherokee Trail (4-2-2, 1-1) got goals from junior Delaney McLelland and senior Rebekah Burton, whose penalty kick goal in the second half made her the program’s all-time leading goal scorer.
After McLelland put coach Jeremy Schaller’s Cougars ahead in the first half, Beckman and Szarka tallied within a two-minute span late in the half and the Wolves took a one-goal lead at the break.
Nearly 15 minutes into the second half, Hixson — who led the team with six shots — boomed in a shot from the top of the goal box for her first goal since last season’s 5A state playoffs.
Junior Shalom Prince had a chance to up the lead to three goals, but her penalty kick attempt — awarded when she was taken down in the goal box — struck the crossbar and bounced out.
Desperate Cherokee Trail got life when a PK attempt came as the result of Courtney Schmidt going down in the box and Burton promptly buried it for her ninth goal of the season and 59th of her career, breaking a tie atop the program record books with 2010 graduate Alexis Serrano.
With just over nine minutes left, the Cougars kept pressing and had a prime chance when Burton flicked a ball ahead to junior Alesia Garcia, who pushed her shot attempt wide of the far post.
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. FB: Aurora Prep Sentinel
GRANDVIEW 3, CHEROKEE TRAIL 2
Score by halves:
Grandview 2 1 — 3
Cher. Trail 1 1 — 2
SCORING
First half
Cherokee Trail — Delaney McLelland
Grandview — Natalie Beckman (Morgan Szarka)
Grandview — Szarka (Lindsi Jennings)
Second half
Grandview — Jessica Hixson
Cherokee Trail — Rebekah Burton (PK)
Grandview saves: Reagan McCombs (3 shots on goal-1 save)
