Lakeland Christian Academy’s Tori Calizo netted a hat trick in a 4-3 win at Wawasee Thursday night. (Photos by Mike Deak)

SYRACUSE – For much of the match, Anna Reimink was very, very close to taking over. In the most opportune moment, Reimink was the hero as Lakeland Christian Academy earned its first girls soccer win of the season with a 4-3 victory at Wawasee.

Reimink, a transfer from Warsaw that showed flashes of brilliance all over the pitch, had just three shots in the game, but made her final one count. With the score knotted at three and the game slowly lulling into a kickball match in midfield, Reimink made a long run on the ball and found some space. Taking a low, line drive shot to her near corner of the Wawasee net, the shot skidded past keeper Graceanne Kerlin and into the net seven minutes from time.

Anna Reimink heads to goal in what would be the game-winning shot.

“Anna is just a rock star, she can control the field at any time,” said LCA head coach Nate Raber. “I really enjoyed the resiliency. It’s really easy to hang your head once you get a lead and lose it multiple times and then come back.”

The second half featured three goals on just five shots, making for some interesting plot twists.

LCA’s Tori Calizo opened with a goal on the match’s first shot, with LCA taking a 1-0 lead seven minutes in. An LCA free kick in the 32nd minute found Calizo, who made her shot true to knot the game at two after Sara Pritchard scored two goals in two minutes for the Lady Warriors in the 17th and 19th minutes.

Calizo got the hat trick just two minutes into the second half, making some space and firing far corner to give the Lady Cougars a 3-2 advantage. But that would be it for LCA for almost 30 minutes of dormancy on the offensive end until Calizo took a shot in the 71st that was saved. The next buildup would be the Reimink strike.

Wawasee goalkeeper Graceanne Kerlin dives to make a save ahead of LCA’s Jessica Slone.

Wawasee tied the game at three when Natalie Winters scored her first goal of the season on a 25-yard free kick that sailed over everyone’s heads, including LCA keeper Maddie Paris to equalize.

“We can’t just rely on our two forwards to score,” said Wawasee head coach Tracy Swain. “The middle of our field, we’ve been working on switching up and putting Nat (Winters) at mid and Sara (Pritchard) at stopper. Getting that momentum change from them because they each bring some of that momentum with them. Those girls bring it. They were really ready to step up today and make it happen.”

The game saw both teams notch eight shots, with Paris making five stops and Kerlin hauling in four saves. Calizo took five shots overall, four on target, and Reimink had three shots, all on net. Pritchard led Wawasee with three shots, but none after the 19th-minute goal. Including Winters’ free kick goal, Wawasee had just two shots total in the second half as its team alignment changed dramatically.

“People had to be in positions they aren’t normally in,” Swain said, who saw forward Hannah Lancaster and midfielders Abbie Hackleman and Meghan Beer all leave with injuries in the second half. “We weren’t able to sub and we were getting tired. Our communication broke down because we were out of our normal routine.”

Noted Raber, whose team won its first match of the season in four tries, “Our defense is just resilient. Our starting goalie (Brady Gross) was sick and wasn’t able to play, so they just buckled down and just stayed goalside. They did their jobs and trusted each other to fill their positions and it worked out well.”

LCA (1-3) will next play Sept. 8 at Trinity while Wawasee (1-5) will host Goshen Saturday evening.

Wawasee’s Natalie Winters holds off LCA’s Jessica Slone in the first half of Thursday’s contest.