ST. LOUIS – Looking to end a six-game slide, the Missouri Baptist Spartans responded in resounding fashion to dominate the University of Health Sciences & Pharmacy Eutectics 5-0 on Saturday afternoon at Spartan Field.
 
After four of their last six opponents were in the Top-25 or receiving votes, the Spartans enjoyed a rare softer spot in their otherwise challenging schedule. However, UHSP was bound and determined not to fall easily. Utilizing a defense that left nine of their players and their goalkeeper within forty yards of their defensive goal throughout the contest, the Eutectics seemingly were playing for a scoreless draw from the outset. The strategy worked for most of the first half before the Spartans were able to break through.
 
Shortly after coming on as a substitution near the midway mark of the first half, Skylar Hollingshead put the Spartans on the board in the 37^th minute.  Possessing the ball in what appeared to be a non-threatening situation outside the UHSP 18-yard box, the senior from Lake Saint Louis, Mo. calmly cut the ball toward the center of the field and unleased a low-bouncing ball that somehow eluded the Eutectics goalkeeper to break the lid on the scoring. However, Hollingshead was far from done.
 
Hollingshead would strike again just under eight minutes later in the final minute of the first half. Brilliant passing led to a one-on-one situation in the Eutectics defensive zone as Hollingshead deposited a right footed shot from just inside the 18 over the shoulder of the keeper and into the upper left corner of the goal to expand the lead to 2-0 MoBap.
 
Roughly 10 minutes into the second half, Morgan Hollenbeck tallied her second goal of the season by making a determined run through the heart of the UHSP defense. She twice was slowed by UHSP defenders but fought through it to put a rolling shot on frame that grazed the inside of the left post then ricocheted past the UHSP keeper to make the score 3-1.
 
Grad Student Maddie Mrazek got in on the fun in the 68^th minute with a beautiful right footed strike from just inside the 18 from the left side. Her missile hit off the bottom of the cross bar and deflected down into the goal to make it 4-0.
 
Hollingshead completed a hat-trick in the 77^th minute to round out the scoring. Senior Jamie Theusch sent a perfect long ball into the attacking end that Hollingshead was able to run onto with only the keeper to beat. She did just that by firing low and to the left of the approaching net minder to give the Spartans a 5-0 lead.
 
On the afternoon the Spartans outshot UHSP by an astounding margin of 35-2. Of those 35 shots for MBU, 15 were on frame. MBU Junior goalkeeper Gabby Mattli stopped both of the shots she faced, one in acrobatic fashion, to keep the clean sheet, her second of the season.
 
With the victory the Spartans snap a six-game losing streak and improve their record to 2-7 on the season, but more importantly won their inaugural game of the 2023 American Midwest Conference schedule.
 
Next up for the Spartans is a matchup with eighth-ranked Columbia College next Saturday at Spartan Field.