By Brady Extin | Daily Reporter
FORTVILLE – Hoosier Heritage Conference regular season wins and HHC titles are two things Mt. Vernon has become accustomed to in recent years.
That was no different this season.
On Monday night the Marauders clinched both an undefeated conference season and the HHC title with a 6-1 win over Pendleton Heights.
With the win, they have now won 47 of their last 49 conference games and six of the last seven conference titles.
“Most conference games, especially the ones against close county or neighboring rivals, are not easy,” Mt. Vernon head coach Aaron Britt said. “It’s a big accomplishment and I’m really happy for all of them.”
On Senior Night, two Mt. Vernon seniors found the back of the net.
Scoring first was Isabelle Hernandez with a strike from the left side of the box early in the first half.
Joining her as a senior goal scorer was Rachel Lorsung.
In the second half a rebound off of a corner kick found her foot and she put it past Pendleton Heights goalkeeper Priscilla Barajas.
“Isabelle to kick things off with a goal and then Rachel adding to it was awesome,” Britt said.
The Marauders also added goals from Mattie Isger and Addison Wong. Wong finished the night with three.
She got her night started when she outran the Arabians defenders to chase down a pass into the box. In an attempt by Pendleton Heights to recover, she was tripped and awarded a penalty kick. On the PK she beat Barajas to the left.
She beat Barajas twice in the final 15 minutes of the game to secure her hat-trick.
The Marauders also started a senior in goal. Khloe Patterson allowed only one goal on the night on a Pendleton Heights free kick that sailed over her head and into the top of the net.
“It was different being Senior Night. It’s just a great group and for all them to get a start was great. It was just a good night for them,” Britt said. “We wanted to perform well and make sure that their last night and game here was memorable.”
With just one regular season game remaining, the Marauders now begin to turn their focus to the sectional where they drew HHC rival and runner-up New Palestine.
For Britt and Mt. Vernon, they hope the HHC title is just the beginning.
“I’m never completely happy. But we’ve played and competed with top 15 teams all year long which is all in preparation for what we are getting ready to get started on,” Britt said. “You’ve got a tough county rival and a good team in New Palestine but the girls are just looking forward to getting back into the tournament and seeing what we can make happen.”
