Thursday night served as senior night for the McCracken County Mustangs, as they played host to cross-town rivals Paducah Tilghman. Led by six goals from their senior class, the Mustangs had no trouble finding the back of the net as they bounced back into the win column, running away with a 7-1 victory.
“This was a great win for us with a lot of big goals for our seniors, so I was very proud of the guys and how far they’ve come,” said Mustangs head coach Michael Wiersema, following the win.
At the forefront for the Mustangs was winger William O’Neill, who made the most of his senior night with a hat trick.
“It’s a big win for us, and it’s always exciting to score a hat trick,” said O’Neill, looking back on his evening. “It’s especially fun in a big rivalry game with the student section there, and getting to celebrate with them.”
O’Neill’s first two strikes would come towards the midway mark of the first, after chances fell at either end through the first few minutes of action. On either side of a Michael Onuoha equalizing goal for Tilghman, O’Neill would come through with a pair of nifty finishes inside the box, giving McCracken a lead they’d never relinquish. Down the stretch in the half, Grant Seaton would get in on the senior night festivities, bagging a goal to send the Mustangs into halftime with a 3-1 lead.
“Compared to our previous games, it felt like a lot of things in our attack really started to come together tonight,” O’Neill continued. “On my first goal, Eli [Riley] played me a great ball through, and it was the exact kind of ball I want to run onto. Things like that, when we’re all clicking together, it really helps us get a better feel for the game.”
Not long into the second half, O’Neill would be in the right place at the right time to complete his hat trick, turning in a close-range shot and stretching the advantage to 4-1.
From there, the floodgates would open for McCracken. Along with Seaton scoring his second and a goal for sophomore Carson Crane, Johnny Mendoza would create his own senior night moment with a long-range strike, helping the Mustangs cruise to the eventual 7-1 victory.
“Johnny’s goal towards the end was just breathtaking, and tonight really showed off all the hard work that they put in down the line. They did a really great job,” Wiersema said. “Having that many different guys score is always a good thing, and I thought our ball movement as a whole was great tonight…We just wish we didn’t give up the one. That’s one that’ll keep me up at night.”
or O’Neill and the Mustangs, the notch in the win column comes at just the right time in the midst of a tough early season schedule. The hope within the locker room is that the win can be the catalyst for the Mustangs to quickly move on from their 1-3 start to the season, as they head back on the road this weekend.
“We had a tough start to the year, but I think this could be a good turning point for us, and could really give us a boost heading into our next couple of games,” O’Neill concluded. “We have a lot of tough opponents on our schedule, but a good, dominant win like this can really help us keep that positive attitude and build up momentum.”
The Mustangs return to action on Saturday, taking on Warren Central. For the Tornado, they’ll resume the search for the first win of their season on Monday when they take on Hopkins County Central in a 2A quarterfinal matchup.