Davis honors father by scoring first goal in Hannibal girls soccer team’s rout in Kicking Cancer game

HANNIBAL, Mo. — Ashley Davis made sure everyone knew of her return to the starting lineup for the Hannibal High School girls soccer team by scoring the first goal in Tuesday night’s 7-1 victory over Moberly at Veterans Field.

Before the whistle to start the game blew, and before Davis scored, she walked on the field with her mom.

Tuesday night was Hannibal’s Kicking Cancer match, and the starting lineup walked on the field with someone who has been impacted by cancer. Davis walked out with her mom, because her father died in February from cancer.

“It was a special moment,” Pirates coach Eric Hill said. “The thing that was really cool was that she was able to come out here and get that first goal and get us started.”

“I’m coming off an injury,” Davis said. “So I feel like I’m getting back into my groove. But it felt pretty good.”

Moberly’s Evelyn Freeman scored an own goal in the 15th minute to bring Hannibal’s lead to 2-0.

“Malia Stolte did a nice job of staying with it, hustled and made a great play just to get to it and send it back across in front of the goal,” Hill said. “So it ended up being an own goal, but it’s one of those things, the hustle paid off.”

Abbie Martin scored the next two goals in the 20th and 23rd minutes for Hannibal (11-4, 7-0 in the North Central Missouri Conference).

For her second goal, Martin said, “I got a very good ball from the back … I just took a good touch, looked up, and the goalie was coming out. I just touched around her and found the goal.”

In the last 4 minutes of the first half, Karlie McGee sent a free kick from the top of the box soaring into the top right corner of the goal for the Lady Spartans’ only goal of the match.

Hannibal’s fifth and sixth goals came from Stolte and Aly Falconer, respectively. 

With only 16 minutes left in the game,  Hannibal’s Peyton Harsell headed the ball into the net for the final goal.

“(She) got her head to it just in time and was able to get there before the keeper did,” Hill said. “So many of [the goals] that we had tonight had good build-up. It wasn’t individual. We were moving the ball well.”

The game was fast-paced with Hannibal dominating possession. Elbows were flying, and the intensity of the game led the referee to award yellow cards to Hannibal’s Kegan Greening and Moberly’s Ella Mathes and Zaylee Heaton.

“They’re a very good team, very fast, very strong,” Moberly coach Bridger Pretz said of the Pirates. “Eric’s done an absolute phenomenal job the last 20 years with getting this program ready … They always come ready to play, especially on nights like tonight, and we just didn’t match the intensity.”

Hill did have one concern after the victory. His hair and beard had been dyed neon pink in recognition of the Kicking Cancer match.

“The girls begged me,” he said. “I hope it washes out.”