CBC Field saw goals from the opening whistle Saturday, and once Columbia Basin found its footing, the Hawks made sure nobody else got a word in.
Bella Diehm needed just 65 seconds to open the scoring, redirecting home the game's first shot before Yakima Valley leveled things at 1-1 less than thirty seconds later. That would be the last time all afternoon the Yaks were within a goal.
Kylee Kukes turned the middle third of the first half into her own showcase, scoring in the 14th minute to put Columbia Basin back in front for good. Iva Hunt followed three minutes later, finishing a feed from Diehm, and by the 25th minute Kukes had struck again — unassisted this time — to make it 4-1. She wasn't finished. With 35 minutes gone, Kukes converted a Maite Betes assist for her third goal of the half, sending the Hawks into the break up 5-1 and having outshot Yakima Valley 15-5.
The second half opened quietly by comparison, and Yakima Valley used the lull to pull one back on a penalty kick just past the hour mark, cutting the deficit to 5-2. It proved to be a brief interruption. Columbia Basin's response came in a decisive final quarter-hour: Iva Hunt scored her second of the day off a Grace Eaton assist in the 72nd minute, Hailey Despres converted a Belen Jimenez feed four minutes later, and Kukes capped her afternoon with a fourth goal — this one set up by Beth Ribellia — to push the lead to 8-2. Despres added her second in the 85th minute for the 9-2 final.
The final numbers tell the story of a Hawks team that never let go of the ball for long: 28 shots to Yakima Valley's 8, with 17 finding the frame. Kristen Schell started in goal and made four saves before handing things to Elaina Queral for the second half, who made one more as the Hawks closed it out.
Nine different plays produced goals, but the shape of the afternoon was set inside that opening half — Columbia Basin scored five times before the Yaks managed a second shot on target, and everything after was about how much further the margin would stretch.
CBC will get another road test on Wednesday as they head to Walla Walla to take on their rival starting 2pm in Walla Walla.
