Kearney's hat trick propels St. Edward in regional opener

If you DVR back to last year's postseason for the St. Edward girls soccer team, you'll find the junior version of Megan Kearney battling in the trenches trying to set the table for the likes Corey LePoudre and Allison Kruk up top to finish in the final third.

When you fast forward to this year's postseason, you'll find out that what goes around for Kearney comes around full circle.

With Kruk and LePoudre gone to graduation, Kearney's dropped the table setting role and if her hat trick in the Green Wave's 4-1 win over No. 4 Harvest Christian in a Class 1A Westminster Christian regional semifinal at Judson University Tuesday was any sort of indication, it's obvious she's adapted well to a position she once served to. And while the change is still a little unorthodox at times for the senior, it's nonetheless helped top-seeded St. Edward back to Friday's regional championship for the fifth-straight year.

"It's more exhilarating and exciting. I like forward better," Kearney said of her role reversal. "I'm new up at forward and it's all a matter of me and (Chelsea Gnan) kind of connecting and figuring out each other."

Indeed something connected at Judson Tuesday, as Kearney scored 3 goals and Gnan cashed in on a PK in a match that was shifted across town due to bad field conditions at Westminster. Wednesday's game between No. 2 Willows Academy and No. 3 Westminster Christian to determine the Wave's opponent on Friday will be played at Judson again with the championship match's location still to be determined.

But there was no doubt about Kearney, who scored twice in the first half as she notched the Wave's first 3 goals. Her first boot came from just outside the 18 off a nice cross from Sarah Madden at the top of the box. Goals 2 and 3 came from chip shots on diagonal runs bridging the first and second half, the latter a key insurance goal as the Lions (10-8) cut into the lead to 3-1 on Ellie Burzlaff's goal late in the second half.

"Sometimes they like to make me a little nervous," Wave coach Tim Brieger said. "Until Megan decides to start scoring hat tricks left and right. That's what she does."

Gnan's penalty kick in the 70th minute added more cushion as the Wave (12-7) outshot the Lions 10-4 and had a comfortable lead late. But there was still cause for concern late with the big lead.

"We're so nice," Brieger loosely said. "We get up 2-0 and we kind of go 'oh, it's 2-0, let's put it into cruise control, let's sit back and relax.' We just don't teeter over the ledge. That's been a little bit of a problem - not a bad problem - but we get up two and we kind of coast."

Which was why the adjustment Lions coach Jason Acres made from a 5-4-1 formation to a 4-4-2 at the half could have been more lethal had Harvest finished on some second half chances.

"I added that extra attacker and I think that (freshman Amanda Moore) really threw them for a loop," Acres said. "She's just someone to be reckoned with. She's just really helped us on that attack."

Moore, who had 19 goals on the season, had a chance to slice the lead to 2-1 from point blank range but didn't get her left foot to tuck it in near post and the shot went over the crossbar.

"We took the punch, we settled down and we started to do fine. I'm happy with the win," Brieger said.