Dunwoody, GA-Looks like another "Big Red" has found a scoring machine.
Good news for Team 101. Bad news for 102. And likely for the rest of the U6 Girls League as well.
On Saturday, Grace Rathbun shredded Blue 102 defenses, firing four goals en route to the home team's come-from-behind 6-4 victory in the season opener for both clubs.
The speedy compact Rathbun was virtually unstoppable in a spirited match played under unusually warm temperatures given the 9 AM start.
If not for frequent substitutions, the 101 dynamo might well have doubled her total.
Whenever Grace took a breather, the Blue faithful along the visitor sideline heaved a collective sigh of relief.
When she returned, you could almost hear the opening bars of Dragnet.
Rathbun's stellar performance was nearly matched by Blue standout Sarah Jensen,
whose hat trick kept her team in the game until the very end.
Early in the 4th quarter, Jensen's third goal gave Blue 102 a 4-3 lead.
But shortly thereafter, Rathbun's fourth equalized, then late scores by Anna Halgash and Katie Gouldman sealed the 101 triumph.
Early on, it looked as if Blue 102 might withstand the Rathbun onslaught.
After Valerie Olzer scored late in the 1st quarter to tie the score at 1-1,
Jensen's goals propelled the side to leads of 2-1 in the 2nd and 4-3 in the 4th,
while outstanding defensive plays by Kate Hudson and Ashley Brown helped preserve the margin.
But it was just a matter of time.
Late in the 4th, the Big Red Machine got rolling, enabling Team 101 to roll off the field as happy victors.
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