Girls soccer: Hannah Hopek's goal sets Cloverleaf on winning path

WESTFIELD TWP. — The Cloverleaf girls soccer team didn't have much time left in the first half to execute a play to break a scoreless game in a 3-0 win over Field in Metro Athletic Conference play Tuesday night. That didn't matter, as senior captain Hannah Hopek had the ball on her foot and the clock in the front of her mind. With a corner kick, Hopek set the ball down with about 13 seconds remaining in the half, backpedaled quickly, approached, swung her left foot through the ball and set it sailing toward the goal, where Field keeper Zoe Kramer deflecting it before it bounced around and into the net for the Colts (4-3-1, 4-0-1). "It was just what we needed before half, because tying was just not enough for us," Hopek said. "We needed to get that head start on them, especially before halftime. "Usually, I take my time with my corners so that I can place it right, place it in the middle by the PK box. When I have no time, I'm obviously just rushing. I kicked it and had a lot of curve to it, and it hit her and then went in and ended up being a goal." The Colts used that momentum to add to their lead in the second half. Abby Plowman sent a shot past Kramer with her right foot less than five minutes into the half. For Plowman, it was a relief to score after she missed a chance in the first half. "I really had to keep pushing through," she said. "I had so many of my teammates out there supporting me and I knew that was my chance. I really had to put this one away because I didn't know how many I was going to get." Hopek finished the scoring with 5:55 left when she took a pass from Gracie Hobart and lofted a shot over the head of Kramer. The Colts had a 15-3 edge in shots on goal, including 8-0 in the second half. "I think scoring that goal (in the first half) really gave us a lot of motivation," Hopek said. "We knew that we would keep going, keep scoring, keep shooting, and the more shots we take, obviously, the more opportunity we have for it to go in." Junior goalkeeper Stella Bennett made the Cloverleaf goals hold up, keeping a clean sheet with three saves. The win helps Cloverleaf stay right behind Streetsboro in the MAC race, as Streetsboro entered Tuesday at 4-0 in conference play. The teams play to finish the regular season on Sept. 30. "It was really important, because we knew if we didn't win this game, it was going to be really hard for us to try to get first place within the MAC," Plowman said. "We really had to push through to beat Field so we can be on to our next competition." Contact Ryan Isley at sports@medina-gazette.com. Cloverleaf 3, Field 0 FIELD 0 0 — 0 CLOVERLEAF 1 2 — 3 First C — Hannah Hopek, :04.5 Second C — Abby Plowman, 35:09 C — Hopek, 5:55 (Gracie Habart) Shots on goal — Field 3, Cloverleaf 15. Corner kicks — Field 1, Cloverleaf 3. Saves —Zoe Kramer (F) 12, Stella Bennett (C) 3. Records — Field (5-5, 3-2), Cloverleaf (4-3-1, 4-0-1).