By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural got its 2024 boys soccer season off to a rousing start while also earning an early leg up in the Centennial League race with Friday's 7-0 win over Manhattan at McElroy Field.
Rural, which will be shooting for its 30th straight league crown (outright or shared) this fall, scored the only goal it would need 3 minutes 45 seconds into the match, took a commanding 3-0 lead at halftime and continued to pad its advantage with four second-half goals.
Junior Brandon Hamilton led the way with a three-goal hat trick as Washburn Rural opened its 2024 soccer season with a 7-0 Centennial League win over Manhattan. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
"Two months of summer workouts, school starting, all the heat issues the last few weeks, everybody just wanted to play a game,'' Washburn Rural coach Brian Hensyel said. "As a coach you always feel like you have to be in a game to really know what you have to work on. You can do drills, you can do all this stuff, but eventually you've got to play a game so we were just anxious to play.''
And to draw Manhattan, one of Rural's top competitors for the Centennial League crown year-in and year-out, added lustre to the opener.
"Playing Manhattan in Game 1 is kind of a weird scenario,'' Hensyel said. "It's usually later in the year and guys were pretty pumped up. We wanted to get off to a good start and obviously things went well.''
Sophomore Brodye Kocher-Munoz (8) tries to control the ball in Friday's 7-0 Washburn Rural Centennial League win over Manhattan at McElroy Field. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Junior Brandon Hamilton registered a three-goal hat trick for the Junior Blues, third in Class 6A a year ago, while senior Pierce Cannon added two goals and sophomore Brodye Kocher-Munoz a goal for Rural, which also picked up an own goal in the win.
Junior Dylan Willingham battles a Manhattan player for a loose ball in Friday's 7-0 Washburn Rural win over Manhattan. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Cannon, junior Draden Chooncharoen and junior Dylan Willingham were credited with assists while junior Miles Cook and junior Higgins Hawks combined for the shutout in goal for the Junior Blues.
Washburn Rural will return to action next Tuesday, going on the road to face city rival Shawnee Heights in a 6:15 p.m. non-league contest at the Bettis Family Sports Complex.
WASHBURN RURAL 7, MANHATTAN 0
Manhattan (0-1, 0-1) 0 0 -- 0
Washburn Rural (1-0, 1-0) 3 4 -- 7
Washburn Rural -- Goals: Brandon Hamilton 3, Pierce Cannon 2, Brodye Kocher-Munoz, own goal. Assists: Draden Chooncharoen, Pierce Cannon, Dylan Willingham. Shutout: Miles Cook, Higgins Hawks.
