LEXINGTON — Kyla Spencer started her sophomore soccer season the same way she ended her freshman season.
By putting the ball in the back of the net for Ontario.
The returning All-Ohioan, who scored 23 goals and assisted on 12 others in 2019, scored two goals and assisted on another Friday evening as the Warriors opened the 2020 season with a 4-1 win at Lexington.
Spencer was especially dominant on the pitch in the second half when Ontario broke open a 1-1 tie at the intermission.
“In the first half, I just don’t think Kyla was being selfish enough,” Ontario coach Larry Atkinson said. “In the second half, she started to do it again. I called her over and politely talked to her about what she needed to be doing and what would be better for the team and how it would open things up for her teammates.”
Spencer, who opened the scoring by knocking in a corner kick from junior Rylee Nigh nine minutes into the game, added another goal in the second half when she simply powered through the middle of the Lexington defense.
She assisted on the final score of the night with a crossing pass to senior Abby Potter with just 1:35 left to play. Ontario’s other goal came from senior Abby Potter, who got her head on a shot by senior Allura Carpenter with 29:55 left in the second half to break the halftime tie.
Ontario was 13-4-2 last year, falling in the district finals to powerhouse Madison, a game the Warriors led at halftime.
Despite returning a great deal of experienced from that team, with COVID-19 washing away the spring and summer, Atkinson said preparing for the first game was difficult with no pre-season scrimmages.
“It was tough, because the unknown is what’s going to happen in the first game. We see it in practice, but we have been playing against each other for weeks.
Lexington, who lost All-Ohioan Lacee Bethea to graduation from last year’s 13-4-1 team, didn’t play hard enough in the second half, according to coach Buck Morton.
“We didn’t go to the ball. We didn’t win much. We didn’t win much in the air. I’m not trying to take away from (Ontario). They did what they are supposed to do. They got to the right places at the right time, they got the ball off their feet and controlled the game,” Morton said.
“We just kind of watched (at the start of the second half) and by the time we started to pick it up again, it was already 3-1. It’s too late at that point against a quality team like that,” Morton said.
The Lexington coach said stopping Spencer was difficult.
“Spencer’s a handful. She’s quick. She plays hard. I think that’s the key. I mean, you know, she doesn’t give up on a ball. She gives great effort. We saw that from her last year and it didn’t change much,” Morton said.
Lexington’s lone goal was scored by junior Lauren Alexander with 28:14 left in the first half. Alexander was second on the team in scoring last year with 18 goals and five assists.
UP NEXT: Ontario travels to St. Marys on Aug. 29. Lexington hosts Mansfield Senior on Thursday in an Ohio Cardinal Conference match.
