The Lawrence High girls soccer team tallied all the offense it needed in the first seven minutes of Tuesday’s 4-0 victory over Baldwin High at LHS.

Sophomore Skylar Drum (36:02) and freshman Maria Duncan (33:21) put LHS on the board early with relentless pressure that produced the Lions’ first two goals of the game.

Drum’s goal came after she scooped up a loose ball in front of the BHS net and cut it across the keeper and into the far corner of the net.

Less than three minutes later, the tiny Duncan attacked the heart of the Baldwin defense and wound up as the last player standing. After coming clear, she wound up and ripped a shot past the right shoulder of the BHS goalie to give the Lions a 2-0 lead.

The goals from Drum and Duncan would have given the Lions a 3-0 lead if not for an offside call on a free-kick goal from senior Keeli Billings 1:56 into the first half.

“I think that was crucial,” senior Sadie Keller said of her team’s fast start. “The first five minutes are often indicative of how a game will go and I was really excited about the way we came out.”

With 1:02 remaining in the first half, Drum struck again. After the longest prolonged offensive attack by the Bulldogs of the half, LHS senior Emily Easum cleared the ball to Drum, who pushed her attack up the right side looking to cross to a teammate. Out of room, Drum flicked the ball toward the middle with her right foot and watched it bend over the keeper’s head and into the back of the net.

LHS led 3-0 and never looked back.

“There’s a different atmosphere on the team this year,” said LHS coach Justin Young. “We made a pact as a team to never look back at what we did last year and just try to keep moving forward.”

Junior Erin Ventura, freshman Kaitlyn McIntyre and junior Macey Sutter all played key roles in helping the Lions (2-0) keep pressure on the Baldwin defense. Junior Elaine Harris and senior Cortlynn Stark consistently supported the LHS attacks from the back half.

For good measure, Keller capped Tuesday’s scoring with a 35-foot bomb that floated just high enough to clear the BHS goalie and sneak into the net with 8:44 to play.

“I didn’t really see any open spots so I just tried it,” Keller said. “It was pretty surreal. Thinking it can go in and seeing it actually go in are two different things.”

Although the LHS offense controlled the flow of the game from start to finish, one of the more exciting moments came on the defensive end. With LHS leading 2-0 and Baldwin mounting its first attack, Drum showed she’s much more than a one-dimensional player by sprinting back to bother a shot attempt by BHS’s Erica Petry.

Drum’s petulance caused Petry’s shot to bang off the shoulder of LHS goalie Katelyn Murrish. The Bulldogs gathered the rebound about 15 feet from the net and had another crack at trimming the Lions’ lead, but sophomore April Hodges held her position on the goal line and stonewalled the second shot attempt, which gave Murrish time to smother the ball and end the threat.

With just under 19 minutes to play in the game, Petry was stifled again, this time by second-half goalie Amelia Dunlap, who made a diving save to her right on a free shot at the net.

In all, fewer than 10 minutes of each 40-minute half were played on Baldwin’s offensive side.

“Our defense was solid, for sure,” Young said. “I was pleased with our effort. This is where we get our confidence.”

LHS will travel to Missouri on Friday for a 6:30 p.m. game against Barstow.