Freshman has a big night in Bombers’ victory

Freshman Skylar Cornell had a memorable evening, with a second-half hat trick after assisting on both her side’s strikes in the opening 40, propelling Kenston to a 5-1 win over visiting Brush in Western Reserve Conference play Sept. 17.

The Bombers (5-3-2), who improved to 9-1-2 against the Arcs (5-5) since 1999, enjoyed a 16-1 advantage in shots on target.

“The second half especially, we started connecting some passes and finding some open players and hit some good shots,” Kenston coach Kathleen Vass said. “First half, we had a lot of shots, too – they just weren’t as accurate, took some bad touches.

“We gave up an early goal that threw us off. But they held it together and picked it up in the second half.”

Elyse Myles opened the Bombers’ account in the second minute, latching onto a nice ball wide right from Cornell and delivering a finish near post.

Mya Cannaday equalized for Brush in the ninth minute, collecting Gianna Ross chip service and playing a first touch in. The linesman’s flag was up. But he was waved off by the center official and Cannaday, the Arcs’ promising sophomore striker, did well with a right-footed effort high for her 11th goal of the fall.

But Kenston took firm control before halftime through a Bri Yurkovich strike with 62 seconds left in the opening half for a 2-1 lead.

As much of a playmaker as Cornell was in the opening 40, the freshman was on superior form as a second-half finisher with a natural hat trick.

Cornell slotted a strike from distance in the 45th minute, capping off a nice bit of individual ball skill, and added goals in the 69th and 77th. The latter to finish off the hat trick was a rebound after an initial penalty kick was turned away.

“It was a really aggressive game,” Cornell said. “There was a lot of physical contact. But you’ve kind of got to put that to the back of your head through the game and not let it get to you. It was a good game.

“When we talked at halftime, we decided that we needed more pressure on their players so they couldn’t get the ball forward. And so we started attacking more in the middle and winning more of the 50-50 balls.”

Coming soon

For more from this match, including Vass and Cornell on the Bombers’ promising young side, check back in the coming days on News-Herald.com and in our print edition.