By Luke Nadkarni / Scrimmageplaycva.com contributor
St. Anne’s-Belfield’s girls soccer team defeated visiting Trinity Episcopal 3-0 Tuesday afternoon behind a hat trick from Kylie Hegemeier and another terrific defensive effort by the Saints.
With the win, the Saints advance to the VISAA Division I state semifinals in Richmond to be played Friday evening at Ukrops Park.
It marked the second time this year STAB had knocked off the Titans, adding to a 1-0 win on a muddy field during the regular season.
Hegemeier struck twice in the first half, beginning with a goal off a throw in to make it 1-0, then doubled the third-seeded Saints’ lead off a through-ball to send STAB into the break with a two-goal lead.
That lead swelled to three midway through the second half when Sierra Reyes played a beautiful cross to Hegemeier, who found the back of the net once again. From there, the Saints’ defense took over, neutralizing every Trinity attack to keep the clean sheet.
“There was a stretch where we had about five or six fouls called on us, which took us out of our rhythm,” head coach Mark O’Donnell said. “We got refocused and started to possess a bit, and we pushed forward which opened [Trinity] up in the back.”
The Saints, the tournament’s No. 3 seed, will take on No. 2-seeded Cape Henry Collegiate Friday. Kick-off is set for 6 p.m.
