Loveland junior successfully juggling soccer

The Loveland junior, who’s doubling up this season competing in both track and soccer, put her speed and tenacity to good use on the pitch Monday by recording a hat track to lead the Indians to a 5-2 victory over crosstown rival Mountain View.

One of the top sprinters on the LHS track team is now also the leading scorer on the soccer team.

Mountain View’s #6 Sarai Castellanos and Loveland’s #3 Josie Fugate go for the ball Monday, April 17, 2017, during their game at Mountain View High School.

After Loveland went up 3-1 nine minutes into the second half, Mountain View’s Delaney Norman answered less than a minute later by finding the upper-left corner of the goal on a beautifully placed high-arcing ball from the opposite side.

She beat a Mountain View defender 1-on-1 on the left side to create herself an easy scoring chance from in close for her second goal to double the lead.

After Rubin said the Indians were on their heels a bit to start the game, Hannaford got them on the board by putting home a through ball from Aimee Lee in the ninth minute.

Loveland began the second half with a flurry of scoring chances and generated several more later in the half to prevent Mountain View from mounting a serious comeback.

MVHS coach Hilary Lind was happy with her team’s performance and noted how the game could have turned out differently had a few close calls near the goal gone their way.

After scoring just two goals the first five games this season, they’ve now scored seven in their last four contests.