The Thunderhawk Girls Soccer team took on league and cross-town rival Lakota West last night at the Hawks Nest. 

No one on the current roster has ever experienced a victory over West on the soccer pitch and there was plenty of motivation to go around.  The two rivals have had a lot of close games over the years.  East's last win over the Firebirds was in 2014 (2-1).  The two teams tied in 2015 and 2016.  

The Hawks, currently ranked #8 in local Cincinnati polls were hoping to further solidify their position.

The Hawks managed to control both possession and pace throughout the match and put the West keeper under pressure on numerous occasions.  The halftime score was 2-0 in favor of East and the second half lived up to its billing producing a hard-fought battle between the two teams.  

Sophomore Josie Bencic tallied both unassisted goals for the Hawks and in the end the Hawks came away with the 2-1 victory.

Next up for the Hawks (4-3, 2-0) on Saturday are the Sacred Heart Valkyries from Louisville.  Sacred Heart is the defending Kentucky Division 1 state champions and is currently 8-0 on the season.  The storied program has 8 state titles hanging from the rafters and features junior Mallory Glass the Gatorade KY Player of the Year.  JV kicks off at 1 PM and Varsity at 3 PM.