Hutchinson, Kansas -- Coming off a 13-4 season a year ago when they recorded the second-most wins in program history, the Indian Hills women's soccer team got off to a quick start in the 2019 campaign with a pair of victories in Kansas, knocking off Trinidad (Colo.) State, 4-1, and then outlasting the host Hutchinson Blue Dragons, 1-0, in a tense affair on Saturday.
It was only fitting that Emily Murphy, who scored an IHCC record 37 goals as a freshman and earned honorable mention All-American honors, got the scoring started in her sophomore season with a goal against Trinidad just 12 minutes into the opening half. Murphy scored on a cross from Madison L. Meyer. After Trinidad tied things up 1-1 just three minutes later, Murphy gave the Warriors the lead for good with goalkeeper Elani Mears getting an assist on Murphy's second goal. Julie Gouilliart and Miranda Kurtt, both all-region performers as freshmen, combined to put IHCC on top, 3-1, just before halftime with Gouilliart picking up the goal off a feed from Kurtt. The lone score of the second half was scored by Meyer, who got her first IHCC goal after a nice pass from Yui Okamoto. Mears, in addition to her assist, stopped eight Trinidad shots on goal.
Neither side was able to break through in the IHCC-Hutch battle until over halfway through the second half. In the 72nd minute, Indian Hills' Kiri Chiba played a long ball into the box and Kurtt beat the Hutch keeper to the ball and headed home the only goal of the contest. Georgia Lindon also picked up an assist on Kurtt's goal, which stood up thanks to the Warriors' stout defense and the work of Mears, who made two saves. IHCC had only four shots on goal.
Indian Hills has their home opener on Friday afternoon at 2:00 against Parkland (Ill.) College.