Martin scores five times as Hannibal earns chance for payback against Fort Zumwalt East in semifinal

ST. PETERS, Mo. — The Hannibal girls soccer team wasted no time in earning a chance at payback in the Class 3 District 4 tournament.

The third-seeded Pirates dispatched No. 6 seed Warrenton 8-0 in Tuesday’s quarterfinal, setting up a rematch of last season’s quarterfinal with Fort Zumwalt East, who also won 8-0 on Tuesday.

“The girls have a bit of revenge on their mind, but we know they’re going to be a tough opponent,” Pirates coach Eric Hill said. “They’ve put together a pretty good season, and they’ve got some girls who can really put the ball in the back of the net and are dangerous, physical players. We just need to be ready to go and match that physicality. We have to try to play our game, jump on them early and keep going. That good start is going to be the key for us, keeping the ball rolling.”

Hannibal scored six goals in the first 13 minutes against Warrenton. The first three, and four of the first five, were scored by different players. Senior forward Abbie Martin scored the final three goals of the first half, and her fifth goal in the 33rd minute led to an 8-0 result at halftime, putting the mercy rule into effect.

“We had a little bit of a lull in scoring there, but we were able to get the two to not necessarily have to stick around for the second half, just get the girls off their feet and get them home at a decent hour tonight so we can get back down here tomorrow,” Hill said.

Kickoff for Wednesday’s semifinal at Fort Zumwalt East High School is scheduled for 5 p.m.