Evans nets a hat-trick; Hillsboro earns 6-goal season-opening win over Peebles

HILLSBORO — The first five minutes of the 2026 regular-season opener for the Hillsboro Lady Indians couldn't have been stronger.

With Leslie Molen back as the head coach of Hillsboro — as she previously was the head coach at HHS from 2004-13 — HHS started the early stages of the season working to become the style of team Molen wants to see on the field, as gaining a 6-0 win in the first game showed they are ready to compete. Last season, HHS and Peebles tied with a 3-3 score at PHS (Oct. 6). 

“We did well, we had some pretty impressive goals, but we didn’t capitalize on some other opportunities,” Molen said. “I was able to get a lot of the kids in as well. Defensively we played well, but we need to trust each other and play off each other more than what we did.”

Hillsboro built a two-goal lead with just under 35:00 left on the first-half clock, eventually leading HHS to a 6-0 non-conference win Friday night on their home field against the Peebles Lady Indians. 

The excellent start by the HHS Lady Indians started with a goal scored by junior Ella Jordan with 38:26 left on the clock, putting Hillsboro in front 1-0, 1:24 into the contest.

Hillsboro quickly added a second goal at the 34:30 mark off a 30-plus-yard kick by senior Arianna Evans for the two-goal advantage, as Evans finished the game with a hat-trick.

HHS led by that same score at halftime.

Evans added her second goal of the match with 35:23 on the clock. Evans’s hat-trick (third goal of the game) came with 18:35 left in regulation as the senior captain raced past the defense of Peebles, smashing the ball to the back of the net past the keeper for a 4-0 lead. 

Sophomore Blair Gard increased the Lady Indians’ lead to five goals with a big kick past the defense of Peebles with the clock reading 14:33. 

Sophomore Ellie Brandyberry scored Hillsboro’s final goal of the season-opening match with 2:48 remaining, racing downfield and putting the ball into the back of the net, giving Hillsboro the 6-0 win. 

In total, HHS had four players score goals in the season opener, which is what Molen wants to see with her team this season. 

“I want to have different kids scoring. I don’t want to be a one-man team, and we had multiple kids with assists,” she said.

Assists for the HHS Lady Indians were recorded by Quinn Swope, Evans and Mati Vaughn.

Hillsboro’s defense kept the shutout intact with 12:00 left in the contest as junior keeper Morgan Kelch made a diving two-handed save — she totaled two saves for the match — off a Peebles shot at the goal. Both Kelch and senior Phoebe Holland combined for the shutout at goal for Hillsboro. Kelch ended the match with five touches, and Holland had two. 

Hillsboro attempted 22 shots in the match, with 22 interceptions on defense as senior Esther Brandyberry, sophomore Parker Wilkin, junior Grace Palmer and Evans each had three. Swope, Gard and senior Riley Meek each had two interceptions. Vaugh, Emarey Schurman, Jordan and junior Piper Wilkin each had one interception. 

Also on the defensive side of Hillsboro’s win, they totaled 18 takeaways with Ellie Brandyberry leading HHS with four. Vaughn, Esther Brandyberry and Parker Wilkin each had three. Finishing with two takeaways was Gard. With one takeaway each were sophomore Cathleen Smart, freshman Harper Couser, Palmer, Meek and Schurman.

The HHS Lady Indians also had four corner kicks in the win. 

Molen spoke about what it was like being back and leading the Hillsboro girls soccer program once again. 

“I am excited to be back,” she said. “These kids have been very welcoming and seem to be a great group of kids. They were a little behind in my opinion on some things, but I believe we are turning the tide on that. We are sharpening up pretty quick.

“I feel like this team is capable of returning to my old ways of coaching with players playing at a high level. I am optimistic, I am proud of them, and every challenge I have put on them, they have tried to achieve it.” 

Hillsboro (1-0) will next play a non-conference game on Tuesday, Aug. 18 at home against a Highland County counterpart, the Fairfield Lady Lions, at 7 p.m. at Hillsboro High School. 

BOX SCORE
PHS    0 0 — 0 
HHS    2 4 — 6