Photo by Samantha Davis. Seventh grade defender Janae Suar kicks a shot on goal attempt in the first half for the Tigers against St. Cloud Apollo Saturday afternoon in Marshall. The Tigers defeated the Eagles 5-4.

MARSHALL — After a troubling start to its season, the Marshall girl’s soccer team has found its rhythm down the stretch and carried it into Saturday with a 5-4 victory over St. Cloud Apollo at home, set up by two goals in the match’s first minutes and a second-consecutive hat trick performance from freshman forward Elsie Deutz.

The Tigers had won three games and tied one in their last five matches ahead of Saturday. With a young heavy roster, balanced with a handful of seniors, Marshall has glued through the summer.

“As we have been going, we’ve just been trying to find the people that gel and work the best together,” Marshall head coach Matt Versaevel said. “Trying to add them, put them in place, and they can work on the communication, talking and moving the ball. That’s what we’ve been focusing on.”

Marshall entered the afternoon in its first matchup against the Eagles with controlled play and set the tone early with a pair of goals in the first three minutes and a 3-0 advantage at the half. Deutz grabbed her second-straight hat trick with two goals in the first half, and another to start the second.

St. Cloud rallied late and was able to get on the board throughout the second half with four goals, but Marshall built its lead up enough to walk away with the 5-4 win.

“They [Marshall] attacked the ball really well. They got in front, they stepped in front of balls,” Versaevel said. “They’re owning the possessions, and they’re doing really well.”

Sophomore forward Abby Wing kicked the ball up the left side of the field and assisted Deutz who comfortably laid the ball into the back of the net at :29 seconds to start the Tigers’ run.

Duetz had set the girl’s soccer career scoring record for Marshall Thursday night with 19, now capitalizing on the achievement even more.

Three minutes later, senior forward Anna DeGroot also visited the net with a goal at the 3:37 mark.

The Tigers continued the half with several more shots on goal attempts and consistently found themselves in the attacking third zone, but Eagles’ goalkeeper Reeghan Stevens protected the net.

Deutz however brought in one more with just under four minutes to go, extending Marshall’s lead to 3-0 going into halftime and her second of the day.

The Tigers did not let up to start the second half and built their lead more behind a corner kick from eighth grade midfielder Maddie Hoefer, received by freshman midfielder Ariana Arevalo who headed the ball into the net, and Deutz brought another in at the 7th minute of the second, for her third and a 5-0 advantage.

But, as the afternoon temperature continued to climb warmer, St. Cloud’s attempted comeback took place with four straight goals to pace the rest of the second half, however Marshall’s cushioned lead was enough to suffice through.

Tigers’ goalkeeper Tristynn Justesen was subbed out after the Eagle’s first goal after an apparent cleat to the face, but she was able to walk off the field unassisted.

“They [Marshall] just kind of got burnt out. The heat got to a lot of them, and then when our goalie got kicked in the face, and that brought it down a little bit, too,” Versaevel said. “Other than that, I think they lost a little bit of that communication and talking.”

Marshall now moves to 6-7-1 overall and has an opportunity to finish the regular season at .500 when it next hosts Garretson on Tuesday at 7 p.m., which will be senior night and the last regular season game.

“[We have to] come out strong, and then just hold it the whole game,” Versaevel said ahead of Tuesday. “Do what we did the first half here, and keep it the entire game.”