Varner sparks Gators to rout of Liberty

Green Valley High School girls soccer coach Roy Snyder said he didn’t feel like his team was playing with its highest intensity at the start of Southeast League play.

Kayla Varner made sure to bring the intensity back.

Varner had five goals and an assist Tuesday as the host Gators routed Liberty 11-0 to remain in first place at the midway mark of league action.

“She’s the most fierce competitor on the field,” Snyder said. “Second-best is never good enough for her — she never settles for anything. She fights for every ball, and she turns it on. She’s so quick, and so skilled on the ball, that when she decides to take the game over, there are very few players that can stop her. She’s very difficult to contain.”

Varner opened the scoring on a 20-yard free kick five minutes into the game, then helped Green Valley (8-4-1, 6-1 Southeast) to a 5-0 halftime lead with an assist to Cassidy McLean in the 11th minute and a goal off a cross by Alyssa Rodriguez six minutes before the break.

McLean — who finished with three goals and an assist — added two goals in the first half, and Rodriguez tallied a goal and an assist for the Gators.

Varner, a senior forward who has committed to Brigham Young, blitzed the Patriots (6-1-2, 4-1-2) with three second-half goals, including a 50th-minute cross from the endline that bent at the last second into the upper right corner.

Alex Adams and Lauren Avecilla each added a late goal for Green Valley.

The increased intensity was a welcome sight for Snyder, who admits his team has been rejuvenated since a 1-0 loss to Coronado on Jan. 5 and a come-from-behind 5-3 win over Basic on Jan. 7.

“We came out really flat against Coronado, and same against Basic,” Snyder said. “And when you come out against good teams and the work rate isn’t there, (we) had the skill to get it done but didn’t have the intensity.”

“We feel like we’re playing well the last three games — starting to put it together and come to our full potential. We’re playing like the team that we should be.”

Hailey Beekman and Summer Dano combined on the two-save shutout.