GARY JOHNSON
Sports Writer
Shelbyville Central’s Golden Eagle soccer team kicked off the season with an impressive 4-0 shutout win over visiting Marshall County on Tuesday evening.
Fernando Gallardo turned in an outstanding performance with a hat-trick plus an assist.
“This was a very scrappy Marshall County squad,” Shelbyville Central coach Chris Fritz said. “It was nice to be at home and play our first ever game on the turf. The atmosphere was great with the amount of fans, the video board and even the food trucks. We are grateful to have all of these blessings.”
Gallardo scored the first goal off an assist from goalkeeper Brylee Themm. He had a one-on-one opportunity with Marshall County’s goalie and made the most of it.
Gallardo followed with an assist that set up the Golden Eagles next score after dribbling the end line for a cut back pass to Jonathan Betzelberger who found the back of the net on a nice shot.
Gallardo drew a penalty and scored to increase the lead to 3-0 then added his final goal off an assist from Kaahleb Elias.
“Hats off to Marshall County for bringing a ton of fight into this first game and they have some really talented individuals. We are filling a whole new lineup of guys from last year and still working through the kinks. I think the boys are disappointed with the way we played but we are happy to give the fans a win,” Fritz said. “Special shoutout to all of our goalkeepers and defenders for keeping clean sheets throughout the whole night.”