It never was a contest.
St. Pius scored its first goal in the eighth minute and never looked back, getting five goals from Alexa Newfield en route to an easy 10-0 victory over West Laurens in the Class AAA state soccer quarterfinals.
Newfield scored the first three goals for the Lions, a couple of which came on centering passes from teammates that put her in perfect position to put the ball on goal.
"That means we know what we're doing by now, by this late in the season," said Newfield, the team's leading goal scorer this season. "We just play off each other so well that it makes everybody's job that much easier."
And they made life very difficult for the Raiders, who came in as the No. 2 seed out of Region 3 but couldn't match the speed and athleticism of the defending state champs.
The Lions often put pressure on the West Laurens defense by bringing a ball handler into the Raiders' defensive zone out to the left and then having streaking attackers hitting the middle of the defense hard.
From that position, a solid pass to the middle of the field could result in goals like those off Newfield's foot.
"We like to play it out wide and throw it back in," St. Pius coach Sara Geiger said. "They held a lot of people back, which crowds the middle. So you've got to get the ball outside and serve it right back in. That's just what we've been working on, so it works for us."
It's the second consecutive season the Lions have routed their early playoff opponents. Last year, they won their first two games by a combined score of 19-0. This time, it's been 27-0 in their first three games.
In 2009, that domination led to a quarterfinal match with Woodward Academy, who pushed them to a scoreless tie until St. Pius scored late in the second half to win 1-0.
This year, it's going to take at least until the state semifinals before the Lions will be challenged on the field in their quest for a second consecutive title.
Geiger said the lack of competition in the early rounds creates a challenge to keep the girls playing at their highest level.
"It's harder for me as a coach," Geiger said. "For the first 10 minutes, they didn't look the sharpest. They come out lackadaisical, and it is harder. You've got to constantly be motivating them. And hopefully, they just want to win."
Caroline Wooten added two goals and an assist for the Lions, while teammates Aarika Znasko and Kelsey Keown each had a goal and an assist.
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