BATH – Katie Henrikson scored a pair of goals and Christina Stuart added three assists as top-seeded Morse remained unbeaten (15-0) with a 4-0 win over ninth-ranked Lake Region (7-8-1) in a Western Class B girls’ soccer quarterfinal Tuesday.

The pair teamed up with leading scorer Tori Fields for a well-played goal to open the scoring 3:19 into the game.

From the right sideline, Stuart sent a long dish to Fields in the corner. Fields dribbled and sent it back to Stuart moving up. Stuart sent a perfect cross right onto the feet of Henrikson in front of the left post.

Henrikson spun around and drilled a grounder just inside the near post.

“We wanted to try to break them early,” said Stuart. “And Katie and I definitely have a connection. We always know where the other is going to be, and it’s fun when it works.”

“It’s been that way since middle school,” Henrikson said. “She’s always been on the right, and I’ve always been on the left, and we’ve worked a long time together.”

That connection nearly paid off again two minutes later when Stuart sent a gorgeous cross to the far post for a Henrikson header, but Lakers keeper Emily Bartlett came up with the save.

“I’ve been working on my headers,” Henrikson said, “but she was right there.”

Morse dominated the rest of the half, ringing up a 10-0 shots advantage, but Bartlett made a terrific leaping save of a Fields bid and an even better one later, diving to stop a blast from Henrikson that was labeled for the far corner.

Jordan Turner gave the Shipbuilders a 2-0 halftime lead with seven minutes left when she headed in a Stuart corner kick that carried to the back post.

“That’s always been a big part of our offense,” said Stuart. “Long send-ins and long crosses. We’re always working on them.”

Play was much evener in the second half, with Tiana-Jo Carter registering the Lakers’ first shot four minutes in.

But Henrikson made it 3-0 at 17:20, taking a Fields pass while charging toward the right corner and ripping a shot back into the far left side as Bartlett slipped trying to dive.

Morse goalie Sadia Crisby came up with an outstanding diving save to deny Rachel Wandishin and preserve the shutout, and Fields closed it out after getting her body on a Stuart cross. The initial bid was blocked, but Fields redeposited the rebound with 13:31 to go.

“I think we were a little rusty at first,’” said Morse Coach Steve Boyce, “and there were some times when we kind of watched the game go by, but a couple of knocks got us going. Overall, I was pleased with our effort. It’s always good to get that first one out of the way.”

“There’s a reason they’re 15-0,” Lake Region Coach Lynne Harrison said of the Shipbuilders. “We tried to mark (Henrikson) and (Fields), and that just killed our offense and put us back on our heels.
“I told them at halftime that we’re not out of the game at 2-0, and we just had to stick to our plans and try to get our offense going, and we did a better job.”