By ANDY STEPHENSON
Richland sophomore Stef Martin and senior Jen Karmanocky were quite the one-two punch Saturday.
Martin scored three goals and Karmanocky tallied a goal and had four assists to lead the Rams girls soccer team to a 10-1 drubbing of Johnstown Christian.
“Stef and I have been playing together for three years now,” said Karmanocky. “I know where she is going to be before she gets there.”
The Rams (4-4) relentlessly fired shots on Blue Jays goalie Kim Brown, who made some outstanding saves despite the lopsided score.
Filling in for head coach Gene Bird, Richland assistant Chad Shetler said scoring early in the first half was important.
“In a game you think you should win, it is always big to get off to a good start in soccer or in any sport,” Shetler said. “You don’t want to give the other team any momentum.”
The hosts scored two goals in less than 9 minutes to start the game off strong. Martin scored off a Karmanocky pass to put Richland on top.
Less than 2 minutes later, a Julie Morbit kick ricocheted off the crossbar and Karmanocky sent the ball over Brown’s head to give the Rams a 2-0 lead.
Martin’s second goal was followed by a perfectly angled corner kick by Morbit that snuck into the net.
As the first half clock waned, Karmanocky centered a pass to a streaking Martin to complete her hat trick and give the Rams a 5-0 lead at the break.
“It’s always good to get off to a good start,” said Martin. “I’ve noticed when we don’t score early, it brings our game down.”
The Rams continued to fire away when returning to the field for the final 40 minutes. It only took Laura Stayrook the first 40 seconds to score twice, while Ashley Devorick scored back-to-back goals to stretch the Rams lead.
Victoria LaMonaca booted in the final goal to end the Richland onslaught.
Shetler commended Johns-town Christian and the play of their goalkeeper.
“When you are getting a lot of shots against you, it can break your will,” said Shetler. “It was good to see that she and her team never gave up.”
Melina Hunsburger scored the only Blue Jays goal on a day when Johnstown Christian could not put any pressure on the Rams’ defense.
