Much like the lightning strikes in the distance soon after the final whistle, Baylor's attack was electric to start another promising girls' soccer season.
Sparked by a youthful influx of talent, the Lady Red Raiders boomed 21 shots in a 5-1 home victory over East Hamilton in a match sophomore midfielder Melissa Oliveira will not soon forget.
Oliveira registered a hat trick just 43 minutes into her new journey with a Division II-AA perennial power. Her footwork and dribbling wowed many in the crowd, while her teammates put her in great position to finish.
"Last year I played in Brazil, and I am proud to be here to help this team," said Oliveira, who would've scored her third goal in the 23rd minute off a beautiful three-touch connection through the air if not for an offside call. "This win came down to group work. My teammates helped me. It was a good start and I think this season is going to be a good one for us."
One of the surprise stories of last season in its run to the Class AA state tournament after an 0-11-1 start, East Hamilton was held without a shot in the first half of its 2019 opener.
Baylor junior Gracie Mae Banks provided stellar marking and intercepted several passes, while Lady Hurricanes senior captain Jessica Dunavant was a force on the back line as well in the opening 40 minutes.
The Lady Hurricanes found some life in the second half as they managed six shots. Senior captain Malia Drumeller scored on a one-on-one opportunity created by a perfectly placed pass down the seams by eighth-grader Mia Moore in the 57th minute.
However, a missed breakaway in the 68th minute ended hope for the visitors, who in addition to Oliveira had to deal with an elite speedster in sophomore striker Aliya Cooper. Cooper hit the crossbar twice, unleashed nine shots and set up a penalty-kick score for Oliveira.
"Aliya's pace of play really stood out," Baylor coach Curtis Blair said. "She is nearly a complete player now. She has always had the athletic ability, but now she is so much better technically and has put the soccer elements into her game. Her better soccer is all in front of her because she is coachable, her work rate is really high and she wants to be good."
With only seven upperclassmen on a varsity roster of 21, the Lady Raiders liked what they saw in a fiery start in which all scorers were new to the varsity team. Freshman Bella White and sophomore Zoe Stalvey scored in the 70th and 74th minutes, respectively.
"Any time you put a Baylor jersey on, the expectation is for you to win a state title," Blair said. "That is never going to change. We have some good upperclassmen. It's just trying to mesh some of those younger players in. Our senior leaders have helped bring those girls along, and they have a great chemistry on and off the field."
Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @PMacCoon.