SEATTLE, Wash. — The Thistle Street faithful were treated to an offensive onslaught on Sunday afternoon, as the West Seattle Rhodies earned a convincing 6-0 win at home against the Tacoma Galaxy on the back of a hat trick from Kalea Eichenberger.
The Rhodies wasted no time in beginning the afternoon’s goalfest, with the first coming from Giovanna Hansen in just the third minute. The winger, unmarked at the back post, got on the end of a well-placed cross from Hailey Still and coolly placed her shot into the bottom right corner to open the scoring.
Without wasting any time, the hosts quickly doubled their lead just four minutes later, this time through Still. The forward, who scored her third of the campaign, picked up the ball in the Galaxy’s box before cutting onto her right foot and curving her shot into the side netting.
The Rhodies, who have seemingly established a clear identity in terms of how they want to play, were equally as impressive on the counter attack as they were in possession, with the hosts doing well to move the ball forward efficiently from their backline.
With the Galaxy continuing to struggle in possession, and with the Rhodies’ forwards firing on all cylinders, it was inevitable that the hosts would extend their lead, with their third goal of the contest coming in the 21st minute through Kalea Eichenberger. The University of Washington got on the end of a pass from Andrea Leyva and fired her shot past Kendra Donley for her second goal of the year.
Despite seemingly taking their foot off the gas in the latter stages of the first half, the Rhodies did well to regain control of the contest in the second half, with their fourth coming from Eichenberger in the 63rd minute. The forward doubled her tally for the day with a calm finish after being smartly picked out in acres of space by Leyva, who picked up her second assist of the afternoon.
The Rhodies showed no let up, even in the final minutes of regulation, with the hosts adding a fifth in the 86th minute through Olivia Shih. The midfielder, and West Seattle native, found the bottom left corner after getting on the end of a through ball from Eichenberger for her first goal of the year.
With the contest coming to a close, Eichenberger added a cherry on top for the hosts with a sixth and final goal in the 92nd minute, becoming the first player in club history to score a hat trick.
Next up for the Rhodies is the first of three consecutive road games, starting with a rematch against Tacoma on Saturday, June 14th at 2:00 pm. Tickets are available for purchase online and can be found HERE.
