Despite playing with a makeshift lineup, Carson High's girls soccer team opened the season with an impressive 6-0 victory over McQueen on Tuesday night at Carson High School.
Carson had four players miss the game with injuries and five others didn't play because they haven't passed the team's fitness test.
Kenzie Tillitt finished with a hat trick, senior Taylor Musselman added two scores and Caitlin Jones added one. Carson outshot McQueen 27-8.
"I thought our passing was exceptional," Carson coach Randy Rosser said. "Our short passing game and through balls were good.
"They are really young. He (McQueen coach Roy Callahan) had to bring up six freshmen to varsity to fill the varsity roster."
The Lancers' inexperience showed in their ballhandling. Four of Carson's six scores came when McQueen was unable to clear the ball out of their own zone.
Tillitt, who played in the field instead of her normal position of goalie, took a pass from Jones and launched a shot off a McQueen defender that got by the goalie 4 minutes, 15 seconds into the non-league match.
After Jones was thwarted nearly four minutes later and Tillitt banged one off the far post, Musselman stepped through the McQueen defense and scored in the 12th minute for a 2-0 lead.
Nearly three minutes later, Tillitt tallied her second of three goals off an assist by Eliza Matley. Tillitt assisted on Jones' goal five minutes later to make it 4-0 and the slaughter was officially on. Musselman closed out the first-half scoring in the 36th minute to make it 5-0.
It's not certain whether Carson put on the brakes in the final 40 minutes or whether McQueen stepped up its game. Carson got off 12 second-half shots, but only Tillitt was able to finish, with that score coming in the 73rd minute.
"We didn't want to give up any goals," Rosser said. "Natalie (Stevens) and Nicole (Updegrove) were solid in the middle."
Rosser also praised the play of freshman goalie Emmy Heller, who was credited with four saves. She and Tillitt are expected to share time in goal this year.
It's still hard to get a total read on Carson yet because of the injuries and fitness issues.
"It's a tough, but a fair test," Rosser said. "With the skill and everything else we have on this team, it's ridiculous not to be fit.
"Taylor (Musselman) was out here all summer making sure she could pass so she could play."
Rosser hopes to have more players available when the Senators face Reed next Tuesday night at 7 p.m. in Sparks.