Photo by Jake McNeill: Marshall forward Elsie Deutz watches her shot during the first half of a girls soccer game against Wings United in Marshall on Thursday night. Deutz set the program scoring record with her 19th career goal as the Tigers defeated Wings United 3-0.

MARSHALL — Elsie Deutz set the Marshall girls soccer career scoring record in the first half of the Tigers’ win over Wings United on Thursday night. The freshman forward netted a first-half hat trick as Marshall coasted to a 3-0 win. 

“[Deutz] just doesn’t quit. She’s relentless, she keeps going,” Marshall head coach Matthew Versaevel said. “She’s just always trying to work the ball, but also with it, she looks for the assist. She looks to help the team out. So she’s just a good team player and she’s at the right place at the right time.”

Deutz set the record with her third goal of the match in the 35th minute. Tristynn Justesen had just made a save and booted the ball downfield. In transition, Deutz caught up to a long-send pass to get into a one-on-one situation with the goaltender. Deutz capitalized on the opportunity, putting Marshall up 3-0 and netting her 19th career goal.

The record looming was one Deutz said was on her mind ahead of the match and was something she wanted to aim for. Still, she added that she was also focused on looking to get her teammates open shots as well.

Justesen posted yet another clean sheet in goal for Marshall. The seventh-grade goalie finished the match with six saves. The team’s defense did a particularly good job of preventing Wings United from getting good looks at the goal in the second half.

“It was just stepping to the balls, the midfield did a really good job of trying to keep the ball and win the ball,” Versaevel said. “That was one of our talking points, making sure that we win the ball, step in front and don’t let them touch the ball. It’s just about working together.”

Deutz scored each of the match’s first three goals. She first put Marshall on the board four minutes into the game to seize some early momentum. After a scoring drought, she gave her team some cushion in the 33rd minute after seizing a pass from Maddie Hoefer and striking it into the net from just behind the penalty spot for a 2-0 tiger lead. 

The Tigers possessed the ball for the bulk of the match, often in the attacking zone. While they had good control, most of their shots came from the perimeter of the box, something Versaevel said functioned as a fine-tuning down the stretch of the season.

“We’re just trying to find new ways to score,” Versaevel said. “You can’t always score the same way, so you’ve got to try new things.”

The result brings Marshall to 5-7-1 overall on the season. With two games left on the schedule, the Tigers have the opportunity to finish the regular season at .500. 

“Definitely want to come out aggressive and look to work as a team,” Versaevel said when asked about his team’s goals down the final stretch. “We’re trying to figure out the best way for us to work together to come out on top for those two games.”

Marshall will host St. Cloud Apollo on Saturday at noon before wrapping up the regular season with a home matchup against Garretson (S.D.) on Tuesday at 7 p.m. Saturday’s game will be Marshall’s first against St. Cloud Apollo, while Garretson finished with a tie against Marshall last season.