Girls soccer: Haslett's hat trick a blast for Glenbard South
Erin Haslett got a loud ovation when she left Wednesday's Class 2A Glenbard South regional semifinal game with 10 minutes remaining.
She certainly earned it.
The Glenbard South freshman recorded her first hat trick by scoring three times in the second half to help the host Raiders put the finishing touches on a decisive 5-0 victory over De La Salle.
Most impressively, all three of Haslett's strikes came into the teeth of a 30 mph wind.
"It feels really good," Haslett said. "Especially (being) regionals, it was amazing."
It was a virtuoso performance for a rookie appearing in her first playoff game, especially considering the playing conditions.
"I think the wind actually hurts her going downwind because the ball has a tendency to outpace her run," Glenbard South coach Kevin Berner said. "When we go into the wind - and we've had this a couple of times this season - our mids feel a little bit more luxury in sending that ball through and knowing that her speed will grab it.
"I think she excels (more) when we go into the wind as opposed to with it."
After dominating possession in the first half, the sixth-seeded Raiders (9-12) actually played even better after halftime. They kept the ball on the ground and used shorter passes to open spaces in De La Salle's defense.
Haslett and sophomore Sam Schutte, who added a goal and an assist, took full advantage.
"We've got two incredibly strong strikers at the top and one's a freshman and one's a sophomore," Berner said. "It's fun when our transition (players) know who they can deliver the ball to.
"That's when their eyes light up and they realize that we've got speed and intensity up there. Let's get the ball to them as quickly as we possibly can."
The Raiders got the ball to Schutte often in the early going, and she didn't disappoint. She received a pass just outside the Meteors' box, but her first touch was a poor one and was intercepted by a defender.
Schutte got the ball back, however, and fired a 15-yard shot under the crossbar to open the scoring at the 32:48 mark of the first half.
The 10th-seeded Meteors (6-6-2) played tough defensively with the wind in their faces. That made the Raiders play with a sense of urgency because they wanted to get as big a lead as possible before halftime.
Senior midfielder AJ Rose provided some relief when she lofted a 35-yard shot from the right side that sailed over the head of De La Salle goalkeeper Jessica Leyva for a 2-0 lead with 5:41 to go.
"I felt really relieved," Haslett said. "We knew that when we were up we could try and work on some things and make some good passes."
The Raiders will host third-seeded Benet, which routed Kenwood 12-0, in Friday's final. Haslett doesn't mind that her team will be heavy underdogs.
"We beat (Class 3A) Wheaton Warrenville South (2-1 on April 29) and we're pretty confident," Haslett said. "We just have to go in there with a good attitude and know that if we can play with intensity that we can win."