Terry Douglass, Central Nebraska Today
HASTINGS — Resilience and opportunistic scoring proved to be the winning formula for Kearney Catholic on Tuesday as both the Stars’ boys and girls soccer programs secured shutout road victories over Hastings.
The Kearney Catholic boys relied on a familial connection and stellar goal-keeping to move to 2-3 on the season with a 1-0 win. The Stars broke the scoreless tie in the 31st minute as senior Easton Malleck found the back of the net off an assist from his brother, freshman Breckon Malleck.
The 1-0 advantage held through the intermission, though the Stars spent much of the second half fending off a Tiger team that reached the state semifinals a year ago.
Senior goalkeeper Zane Slack was the story for the Kearney Catholic boys. Facing a Hastings attack that fired 14 shots, Slack recorded 12 saves to preserve a narrow lead and secure the clean sheet.
The victory hands Hastings (0-4) its fourth consecutive loss to open the season despite its preseason No. 4 rating in Class B by NebPreps.com
The Kearney Catholic girls (4-0) continued their dominant start to the season, using a strong first-half wind and a stifling defense to blank the Tigers 2-0.
Kaelin Key opened the scoring with 20:25 remaining in the first half, assisted by Katelynn Kaiser. The Stars maintained control of possession for the majority of the period, keeping Hastings on its heels.
Kearney Catholic added an insurance goal with 15:20 left in the match when Emily Nelson converted a penalty kick.
The Stars’ defense, anchored by goalkeeper Pfeiffer Adkisson, has yet to allow a goal through four matches this season. They limited Hastings to just three shots on goal.
The Tigers (0-4) have now gone three consecutive games without scoring a goal. Hastings goalkeeper Manon Buderus finished the night with four saves in the loss.
