The Trigg County boys soccer team did its damage early against visiting Hopkins County Central on Monday night, scoring in the opening five minutes and building a 5-0 halftime lead on the way to a 6-0 victory. The Wildcats move to 2-0 while the Storm lose their first game to slip to 1-1.
Elijah Gaines stayed hot for the Wildcats, finding the net in the opening five minutes off an assist by Clayton Setliff. Trigg County blew the game open with 3 goals in eight minutes at the midway point of the first half. Gaines scored again in between goals from Cristian Llarena and Will Jolly, with Jolly, Llarena and Daniel Jimenez providing assists. Gaines finished his first-half hat trick off a pass from Sam Utter, giving the Wildcats a 5-0 cushion.
The teams played out a scoreless second half until the final seconds, as Gaines redirected a hard shot by Jolly to cap the 6-0 win. Matthew Smith had a single save over the first sixty minutes, with Peyton Phillips finishing off the shutout.
Up next for the Wildcats is a renewal of the 5th District rivalry with Lyon County next Tuesday. The Storm will be facing familiar competition in their next outing as well, hosting 7th District rivals Madisonville-North Hopkins (1-0) on Thursday.