Jackson finds motivation, net against Northwest

~ Junior Haley Mouser recorded a hat trick in a 5-0 victory against the school that ended the Indians' 2012 season

Facing the team that knocked them out in the Class 3 District 1 championship game last season, the Jackson girls soccer team wanted to make a statement Monday afternoon.

Did they ever.

Hailey Mouser scored a hat trick as the Indians unleashed a potent offensive attack against Northwest, out of Cedar Hill, Mo., blanking the Lions 5-0 to remain unbeaten on the season.

"We certainly remembered that was the last game we played last year, and that was really all the incentive they needed," Jackson coach Justin McMullen said. "The girls came out with their own type of aggression and put the ball in the back of the net pretty early. Once you do that, things kind of ease up as far as the tension."

Jackson’s Emily Euclide-Gartman, right, tries to gain control of the ball against Northwest’s Cassidy Thompson in the second half Monday in Jackson. (Fred Lynch)

It didn't take long for the Indians (11-0) to take control. Mouser, a junior midfielder, made a nice run down the left sideline before passing ahead to freshman Cassidi Tomsu. Facing a defender, Tomsu crossed back to Mouser, who curled a shot past the Northwest goalkeeper just 46 seconds into the contest.

Mouser had a hand in Jackson's second goal, finding senior Jordan Myer in front of the net with a perfect cross, Myer touching it with her foot into the net in the 26th minute for a 2-0 lead.

"Coach Mac said at the beginning of the game this is the team that took our district championship away on our home field last year," Myer said. "And that's all he had to say. We were fired up, ready to go."

Jackson kept up its relentless pressure. Tomsu couldn't get a solid shot off on an early breakaway, then toed a cross from Mouser wide left moments later. Senior Mollie Crader had a shot sail just high and wide from 20 yards out, and Mouser had a potential breakaway nullified by an offsides call.

Then senior Hailey Callis won a ball on a throw-in and passed ahead to sophomore Rachel Crites, who got free behind the defense for a breakaway goal in the 38th minute to make it 3-0. The Indians scored again just six minutes before halftime when Mouser ran onto a ball passed by Myer on the right side and rolled it past the Northwest keeper into the far corner for a 4-0 lead.

"Coach has always wanted us to play aggressively, but smart aggressively," Mouser said. "Especially with a team like this; we knew that they weren't gonna take it any easier on us. We knew we had to come out blazing and be aggressive as well."

The onslaught was particularly impressive considering the Indians played the first half heading into the teeth of a brisk south wind.

"We like to play the ball low to our feet, keep it down," McMullen said. "We don't really like to go over or very direct. We kind of like to get the ball out wide and expand the game out. We didn't do a very good job of that today, so we'll certainly go back and work on that."

With the wind at their backs in the second half, Jackson concentrated play in their offensive zone, continuing to push the ball forward. Their efforts were rewarded in the 53rd minute when Callis found Mouser on the left side, and she dribbled in and blasted a shot into the far corner of the net for the game's final goal.

McMullen praised the play of both Mouser (3 goals, 1 assist) and Myer (1 goal, 1 assist), who dominated play in the midfield and beyond.

"They're starting to read each other and get more comfortable with what the other one's going to do, and that sort of helps out when they're in the attacking third, that's for sure," he said.

Myer explained it's a culmination of everyone working together.

"We have great teammates around us and our back line keeps it safe back there, and they play it up to us, and our job is to get it to other teammates or to capitalize on the opportunities that we have," she said. "We're playing as a team and we're trying to go far this year and we're just playing off of each other. We don't care who scores, we're just trying to put in the back of the net."

Northwest coach Stacey Gottman said her young squad -- the Lions were senior-dominated a year ago but started one senior, one junior and six freshmen on Monday -- will learn from the loss.

"[Jackson] plays at that level, and I have girls that aren't going to turn 15 until next year," Gottman said. "That's a huge difference."

The Lions' only threats came late in the first half when sophomore Bree Sharp got behind the Indians defense, but her shot went high over the goal. Moments later, senior Kylee Hamilton crushed a free kick from 35 yards out near the sideline that Jackson keeper Sarah Blanton got a hand on before it hit the crossbar and deflected out of play.

"I think we had two chances that I think were golden, and they should have been in," Gottman said as her squad fell to 2-10. "But that's experience."