HIGHLAND | Michelle Geissler's first goal at the 20:04 mark of the first half was a foreshadowing of an offensive explosion for the Highland junior.
Geissler recorded the second hat trick of her career, as the Times No. 3 Trojans cruised to a 4-0 Northwest Crossroads Conference win over Hobart during Highland's senior night.
"I just wanted to do it for the seniors -- it's their night," said Geissler, who now has nine goals on the season.
One of those seniors who had a huge impact on the game was Shannon Dempsey, who assisted all three of Geissler's goals -- the second of which was a perfect cross feed that Geissler was able to easily head into the goal.
"It was very exciting to assist the ball to Michelle," Dempsey said. "She's always open in the middle and I always know how to place the ball right to where she is."
Highland (9-2-2, 4-0 NCC) hadn't played a game in 13 days, so coach Gordon Walker knew the Trojans would have to shake off a little bit of cobwebs.
"We played half a game against Chesterton, so it was a bit rusty for the first 20 minutes," Walker said. "Once we got back into the rhythm, they played very well."
Geissler's third goal with 4:05 left in the first half gave the Trojans a 3-0 lead at halftime.
While Highland was indeed a little rusty for the first quarter of the game, the Trojans' nature as a midfield-oriented, ball-possession team allowed them to get a feel of what Hobart was trying to do on defense, therefore allowing Highland to pick smart, high-percentage shots.
"I feel like it wasn't that hard to overcome -- we practiced fine," Dempsey said of the long hiatus in game play. "We were a little nervous at first because we hadn't played in that long, but we pulled it together. We got used to it and played our game."
Hobart (4-6-3, 1-4) had some opportunities to get on the board, but Highland goalkeeper Karly Wolfe (5 saves) was there to stop any potential scoring chance that came her way.
Hobart's Chanler Rosenbaum made 11 saves.
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