LEXINGTON — Lady Lex didn’t waste any time.
Jersie Palmer scored in the second minute and second-seeded Lexington breezed to an 8-0 win over No. 4 Norwalk in a Division III district semifinal match at Lexington.
Lady Lex will play Elida for the district title at 6 p.m. Thursday at Lexington. Elida beat St. Marys Memorial 4-3 in overtime Tuesday at Elida.
“We just knew we had to set the tone,” Palmer said. “I was very nervous, but we had to lock.
“We just needed to get that first goal.”
It was the first of many.
Morgan Harrod and Audrey Wendling each had a hat trick as Lexington brought an end to the match with more than 26 minutes remaining in the second half. An eight-goal differential automatically terminates the match.
“It’s the old adage of being on the front foot,” Lexington coach Buck Morton said. “We love the pressure. We love to play fast.
“For Jersie to come out and put an exclamation point on what I told them five minutes before, it’s huge.”
Scoring in Bunches
Lexington built a 4-0 halftime lead.
Taylor Wilson collected a rebound and scored with 18:38 remaining in the first half to give Lady Lex a 2-0 advantage.
Wendling scored the first of her three goals with 7:10 to play, before Harrod found the net for the first time with 55 seconds remaining in the opening half.
Wendling scored less than a minute into the second half and added her third goal with 36:29 to play. Harrod scored on a penalty kick with 30:30 showing and ended it four minutes later.
“For us to do what we did tonight, it’s just unbelievable,” Morton said. “I couldn’t ask for anything more.”