By Rick Assad
It started well and it ended even better for the Burroughs High girls’ soccer team in a Pacific League match at Memorial Field on Tuesday afternoon.
In spectacular and sizzling fashion, Quiana Laughlin set the tone in the first minute when she scored on a 15-yarder on a clean assist from senior defender Mackenzie Monahan and then added two more tallies that powered the hosts to a 6-2 win over Pasadena.
In the 18th minute, Laughlin, who is on the track team and is extremely fast, found the back of the net from 23 yards on a breakaway and an assist from freshman defender Geneva Kiefer for a 2-0 edge and picked up the hat trick on a 27-yarder in the 52nd minute for a 4-1 cushion.
“I started running track and field when I was ten,” said the junior forward. “Ever since I have taken it very seriously. I feel both sports have built off each other and made me a more well-rounded athlete.”
A goal in the 26th minute from 12 yards by senior forward Graciela Gomez extended the Bears’ advantage to 3-0.
Senior defender Jailyn Turner’s goal from 15 yards in the 63rd minute saw Burroughs (2-3 and 2-1 in league) vault into the lead 5-2 and sophomore midfielder Samantha Sizemore’s tally from 23 yards in the 68th minute made it a four-goal advantage.
Pasadena (2-4 and 1-2 in league) cut the lead to 4-1 on a goal from 22 yards in the 43rd minute and junior forward Maxine Scott’s tally from 15 yards in the 56th minute sliced the Burroughs lead to 4-2.
In the first minute, Laughlin had a 25-yard kick and a minute later added a 20-yarder.
Laughlin spoke about all three goals.
“The first goal was a tap-in, which was beautifully passed to me by Mackenzie,” she explained. “The second goal was a breakaway I put into the bottom corner of the goal and my last goal was after my mother showed up.”
Laughlin then added: “I knew I had to score one for her, so I put a curve ball into the back of the net from the top of the box,” she said.
Pasadena sophomore defender Allanessa Aguilar’s 23-yarder in the fifth minute ended the Bears’ surge, but seven straight shots from Burroughs followed.
Gomez had a 45-yarder in the sixth minute, a minute later Laughlin tacked on a 27-yarder that was too high and senior midfielder Nadia Aguilar tossed in a 35-yarder in the ninth minute.
Sizemore chimed in with a 45-yard free kick in the 10th minute and Aguilar’s 34-yarder hit the right post in the 11th minute, just missing a goal.
Laughlin’s 25-yard boot in the 16th minute was too high and Aguilar’s kick from 25 yards was off in the 16th minute before Scott’s 32-yarder in the 17th minute snapped the Burroughs streak of shots on goal.
In the 19th minute, Laughlin missed from 15 yards and freshman midfielder Jasmin Varela launched a 42-yard bomb in the 34th minute for the Bears, while the Bulldogs had the last kick of the half from 25 yards in the 39th minute.
The Bears played smothering defense throughout but was especially effective in the first half and freshman goalie Cailin Kerns played well.
Charli Clay opened up the second half with a 15-yard kick in the 41st minute for Pasadena and Sizemore added a 23-yarder in the 42nd minute.
In the 45th minute, Aguilar contributed a 20-yarder, but Pasadena had a 15-yarder in the 50th minute.
Junior midfielder Ella Sage delivered a 25-yard kick too high for the Bears in the 57th minute and two minutes later Aguilar tossed in a 24-yarder while Laughlin had a 27-yarder in the 63rd minute.
Sizemore added a 23-yard penalty kick in the 66th minute and Varela chipped in with a 17-yarder in the 77th minute.
The Bears outshot the Bulldogs 14-3 in the first half and outshot the visitors 24-7 overall.
