Sutter girls soccer unstoppable

It had been mere minutes, and already the perfectionist was nitpicking.

The passing wasn't that crisp. The communication has to improve. The missed chances were too numerous. All this, and the Huskies won 3-0.

"I already pulled the game apart in my head," Sutter coach Jeff Stanhope said after the final whistle. "I'm still not happy where we're at."

There at 4-0, have outscored their opponents 21-0 and feature a roster stocked with all-section types.

There's striker Erika Linch, whose hat trick Tuesday gives her seven goals in two games. There's defender Lindsey Moore, who owns the back half of the field. There's goalie Sam Foster, who has skills but instead spends the game bored as a result of seeing such little action.

Still, this is Sutter. And when you represent a team gunning for a seventh straight Northern Section title, there's always room for improvement.

As for the casual fan, there was plenty to marvel at as Sutter overpowered the Cubs on a crisp, sunny day on the Huskies' field at the basin of the Buttes. First off is Linch herself, who despite being a sophomore, is running past opponents like a collegiate-bound senior.

Her three goals, all of which came in the first half, gave her a third hat trick in four games. She led the team in scoring last season with 33 goals and has 12 to her name in a little over two weeks.

Finding the back of the net has become so common for the underclassman that her preferred method of celebrating a score is a low hand slap. And when possible she passes up opportunities to give her fellow teammates shots on goal. Her only ostentatious feature — bright pink cleats. And that's simply because she has an affinity for bright colors.

"It's all about the team," she said, toeing the company line.

Her first score was assisted by Kelsey Graham and the final two came off feeds from Jayden Garcia. In the second half, Sutter had numerous chances to make this an uber-rout but couldn't convert as shots clanked off posts and sailed just wide.

Still it was a 40-minute offensive onslaught, though to a more trained eye the second half actually showed that the Huskies were actually trying to be humble.

"(Stanhope) backed them off and made them work on skills," Anderson coach Susan Romero said. "(That) was professional."