Mid-Buchanan struggles to find offense in 8-0 defeat to Pleasant Hill

FAUCETT, Mo. (News-Press NOW) – The Mid-Buchanan girls soccer team has found success in its short history, securing three district runner-up finishes and a fourth-place showing in the Missouri Class 1 State Tournament during its second year as a program. However, Friday afternoon in the opening round of the Lady Dragon Invitational, the team found itself in an unfamiliar position, facing the possibility of an 0-2 start to the season.

Standing in the way was Pleasant Hill, which entered the match with a perfect 2-0 record after consecutive 3-0 wins over Moberly and St. Michael the Archangel. Meanwhile, the Dragons were looking to bounce back from a 3-5 loss on penalty kicks to Excelsior Springs. Instead, the Chicks kept their shutout streak intact, rolling to an 8-0 victory.

Pleasant Hill controlled possession early, methodically working the ball around midfield as it probed Mid-Buchanan’s defense. Just six minutes in, the Chicks broke through when Haley Dimarco slipped past the back line and fired a shot from 10 yards out. Goalkeeper Tayja Hernandez made the initial stop, but the ball deflected off her and landed at the feet of Kailynn Paschall, who buried the rebound for an early 1-0 lead.

Mid-Buchanan struggled to maintain possession and push the ball into the attacking third. The Dragons’ best scoring chance came in the 18th minute when Danika Black lined up a free kick, but her shot took two bounces and was corralled by Pleasant Hill goalkeeper Breauna McCluer.

Two minutes later, the Chicks doubled their lead. Ella Cline broke free and sent a perfectly placed 15-yard cross to Paschall, who shot over the outstretched arms of Hernandez to make it 2-0.

Pleasant Hill wasn’t finished. In the closing minutes of the first half, Dimarco battled through contact from Mid-Buchanan’s Ainsley Hopkins before regaining control near the right edge of the box. Dimarco was able to cut back inside and curled a shot across her body from five yards out, slipping it past Hernandez to give the Chicks a 3-0 advantage at halftime.

Pleasant Hill picked up right where it left off in the second half, unleashing a shot just 29 seconds in. Hernandez managed a save, but the Dragons’ defense couldn’t keep the Chicks off the board for long. Eight minutes later, Ava Rogers capitalized on a defensive breakdown, speeding past Black and slotting a shot past a diving Hernandez to extend the lead to 4-0.

From there, Pleasant Hill continued to attack, adding three more goals over the next 32 minutes to cap off a dominant performance and preserve its shutout streak.

With the loss, Mid-Buchanan falls to 0-2 for the first time in program history.