Jackson routs Seckman to reach district final

~ The Indians grabbed a 5-0 lead by halftime and rolled into the championship game

Jackson wasted little time asserting its dominance in Tuesday's Class 3 District 1 girls soccer semifinal.

The host Indians scored less than seven minutes into the game and continued to pound the back of the net in the first half on their way to a 6-0 victory over Seckman.

"We haven't put together a first half like we did tonight," Jackson coach Julie Wunderlich said. "So we were pleased that now in district play we did. We said the first goal was going to be important to get, especially in a game like this. It doesn't matter what you did in the past. It's a whole new ballgame."

Jackson moved within one win of its seventh consecutive district title, something that motivates the Indians.

"If we were to lose one, that wouldn't be good," Jackson junior Kylie Seyer said. "To keep the roll going would be great. That's our goal."

Sophomore Erin Eakens opened the scoring by taking a pass over the defense for a one-on-one with Seckman goalie Kayla Taylor. Eakens dribbled in closer and slammed the ball past Taylor just 6 minutes, 7 seconds into the contest.

"We moved the ball around very quickly," said Eakens, who finished with four assists. "When you move the ball around like that, it creates a lot of opportunities."

The Indians put away the game during a seven-minute span midway through the first half. Hannah Roach doubled the Indians' lead when she brought the ball in from the left side, side-stepped a defender in the box then cut a shot between the near post and Taylor.

Freshman Jordan Myer got in on the scoring when she corralled a pass from the right side into the middle of the box. Myer was wide open and didn't miss for a 3-0 lead.

Junior Kasey Crowden capped the spurt when she took a pass from freshman Mollie Crader, who barely saved the ball from crossing the end line. Crader managed not only to save it but put a perfect cross into the box, where Crowden nailed a high shot past Taylor for the 4-0 lead.

"Our crossing was excellent," Seyer said. "We've been working on that. [Co-coach Justin McMullin] said to play fast and once we started to play fast and moved the ball around, I think it just came and we finished good."

Myer finished the first-half scoring when Taylor deflected her shot into the air and past her for a commanding 5-0 lead at the intermission.

"We were feeling pretty good," Eakens said about the Indians' attitude at halftime. "We wanted to come out as hard as we did the first half, keep the pressure going. But we were pretty happy with what we did."

Crader scored the Indians' final goal in the final 10 minutes of the second half.

It was the underclassmen who did most of the scoring Tuesday. Sophomores and freshmen accounted for four of the six goals.

"Our underclassmen have stepped up all season," Wunderlich said. "They played their roles tonight and did a great job."

Jackson's defense limited Seckman's offense to few decent scoring chances. Brooke Sanders kept the ball out of the net in the first half and Morgan Riddick took over in the second half to share the shutout for Jackson.

"We were just playing quick and pushing up and staying up," Seyer said of the defensive success.

The Indians hope to reap the rewards of Tuesday's big halftime lead in today's championship game.

"The second half, we didn't have to play all our starters," Wunderlich said. "It was a big thing for us because we've got to turn around and play that championship game."

The Indians (16-4) will face second-seeded Poplar Bluff in today's 6 p.m. title game at the Jackson Junior High.