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Girls soccer: Larkin has its way with Wheeling

Kelly Leon and Rosemary Arvizu hadn't played much forward before enrolling at Larkin but with a glut of midfielders, Royals girls soccer coach Ken Hall decided to try the freshmen on the front line.

Early returns on the experiment look good.

Leon and Arvizu each notched a hat trick as the Royals opened their season by downing Wheeling, 8-0, in nonconference action at Memorial Field Monday night.

Ariana King and Amy Leon also scored. Kelly Leon added a pair of assists, as did Elizabeth Baeza and Leslie Reyes.

"I was pretty nervous, but then I got the hang of it," said Arvizu.

"It actually feels really good,' said Kelly Leon of the fast start. "We have to start out the season strong. Most coaches will tell you that you want to start out strong, but you want to keep getting better, too."

Kelly Leon got the Royals on the board in the third minute, then added her second less than 8 minutes later. Baeza assisted both times.

Ariana King found a wide-open net to make it 3-0. Two minutes later, Reyes sent the ball ahead, Arvizu caught up to it and fired it in. Arvizu added another goal before halftime as the Royals led 5-0.

Despite the early goals, Larkin took a while to shake off the rust in the season opener.

"It was our first game of the season," said Hall, whose team wasn't scheduled to play last week during Spring Break. "I thought we were actually a little slow at the beginning. I thought we picked up the pace of play as we moved along."

Kelly Leon and Arvizu completed their hat tricks after intermission, and Amy Leon added a goal in the late going.

"The first half I was upset a little about our work ethic," said Wheeling coach Dwayne Cruz. "The second half I thought we totally stepped it up and played a little bit better. I'm not sure if Spring Break was the greatest, being off and just coming in to play this game."

  Wheeling's Ally Ferraro, left, and Larkin's Miranda Preuss chase down the ball during Monday's girls soccer match in Elgin. Paul Valade/pvalade@dailyherald.com
  Larkin's Valeria Sanchez (9) takes a shot on goal but comes up short and is pressured by Wheeling's Ally Ferraro during Monday's girls soccer match in Elgin. Paul Valade/pvalade@dailyherald.com
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