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The Helena boys and girls soccer teams picked up wins to open the 2020 season. (For the Reporter/Jeremy Raines)

By JEREMY RAINES | Special to the Reporter

Less than 24 hours after heavy winds and rains, as well as a confirmed tornado, passed through the city of Helena, the boys and girls soccer teams kicked off their 2020 seasons with huge victories over the Hueytown on Thursday, Feb. 6.

The weather was less than ideal, as cold and windy misting rain that seemed to stick around throughout the night.

The girls team started off the evening with a slow start failing to put any goals in through the first nine minutes of their game. This sluggish start came to a halting stop, however, as the Huskies caught fire and put up eight goals within 15 minutes to take them into the half with an 8-0 lead.

A lot of underclassmen had the opportunity to get critical playing time early in the season through the majority of the second half. By around the 28-minute mark in the second half, Helena closed out the game tacking on two more goals ending the game at 10-0.

The leaders for the lady Huskies were Bailiee Washington and Marjorie Kingsmore. Washington ended the night with four unassisted goals and one assist, while Kingsmore finished with four goals of her own, including a penalty kick. Riley Kate Hulsey and Taylor Davis also finished with a goal and one assist each.

Following the girls game, the Helena boys looked to keep the opening-night momentum rolling for the Huskies and they wasted no time getting points on the board early with a goal from Matthew Gonzalez within the first seven minutes of the game.

Not long after, the huskies got another goal seven minutes later from Paul Davis Gachie.

Gachie found the net, again, putting the Huskies up 3-0 with 17:52 left in the first half. Shortly after, Hueytown threatened, but Helena goalie Alex Franklin made a really impressive save around the 16-minute mark preventing the Golden Gophers from finding their way onto the board.

With just 3:11 left in the first half, Matthew Gonzalez struck again, finding a goal off a great corner kick giving the Huskies a comfortable 4-0 lead.

Hueytown again threatened near the one minute mark, but the kick just missed over the center of goal cementing the Huskies a first half 4-0 lead.

The Golden Gophers finally found themselves on the board quickly striking within the first 30 seconds of the second half.

However, that became their only score of the game as Helena pressed the gas and never let off the pedal. Anthony Alcantara, Jaime Diaz, John Carson, Andres Mohamed and Tanner Freels all added a score to put the Huskies up with an enormous 10-1 lead with 14:21 still remaining in the game.

Sophomore Paul Davis Gachie scored the game-ending 11th goal for the Huskies, while simultaneously earning himself a hat trick.

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