Trevor Bolte has scored three goals in one game for a club soccer team.
Tuesday, Dixie Heights’ sophomore midfielder scored three in the first 15 minutes, which propelled the Colonels to a 4-2 win over Holy Cross in the Ninth Region tournament first round on Dixie’s pitch.
Next for the Colonels: Newport Central Catholic – a 3-2 double-overtime winner over Cooper – in the semifinals at 5 p.m. Thursday at Boone County.
After less than a second’s deliberation, Bolte decided high school goals were more fun.
“Club, there’s just not as much fun as you’d think ‘cause you have to take it more and more serious,” said Bolte, who plays for Kings Hammer, an Elite Club National League squad.
Bolte’s goals weren’t exactly joyful to Holy Cross coach Dave Groneck.
“(Dixie) came out playing a lot harder with a lot more urgency than we did,” Groneck said. “We were just kind of shell-shocked, going through the motions, weak in the tackles, slow with our rotations. We got penalized for it. We lost No. 6 (Bolte) three times; we lost him in the midfield three times, and he put it in the back of the net three times.”
Tuesday’s win was also the latest example of Dixie’s resurgent offense; the Colonels have scored just 23 times this season (and allowed 28 tallies), but seven goals have come in wins over Holy Cross and a 3-1 win over St. Henry in the 34thDistrict final Oct. 5.
“The last few weeks we’ve been starting to put the ball in the back of the net,” Dixie coach Trey Crone said. “… This time of the year, it’s good to start scoring goals. I was pretty pleased.”
Bolte’s barrage gave him the Colonels scoring leadership; he has seven goals for the season. What you hope teammates and Dixie (8-9-2) fans noticed: all three scores came from 15-20 yards out.
“I thought the first time (Holy Cross) would, honestly, kind of think that I was open,” Bolte said. “And then the second time, I’m open again.”
Bolte’s first goal, in the third minute, beat Indians keeper Wyatt Driscoll to the lower left corner; Ezequiel Bautista got the assist. His second and third scores were deflections to the lower right corner in the 14th and 15th minutes.
Holy Cross (12-10-2) senior Logan Brunk sent a shot past Brady Meyer in the 35th minute.
Then – perhaps the most unlikely goal: Dixie senior Ryle Cullen from at least 40 yards out in the 37th minute, a shot he tried in practice.
“I’ve been ripping those shots all year, just waiting for one to drop,” Cullen said. “… At the beginning I turned away ‘cause I thought the goalkeeper saved it, but then when I looked back and saw that it went in the goal, it’s my first goal of the year, so I ran back and celebrated with my teammates.”
Holy Cross’ Nico Voight scored his 28th and final high school goal in the 67th minute off backup keeper Brandon Honnerlaw. In four seasons in Latonia, Voight scored 65 goals and served 46 assists.
NewCath beat Dixie, 2-1, Sept. 19. The Colonels’ task: contain the Thoroughbreds’ Ryan Desmond, who scored both goals.
“They’re a great team,” Cullen said of NewCath. “We’ll have to put in a lot of work in practice (Wednesday) to get ready for the game.”