MICHIGAN CENTER -- It took just over two minutes to break through and less than a half to get the required eight-goal lead to end the game early as Michigan Center beat Hillsdale 9-0 on Wednesday in the opening round of a Division 3 girls soccer district. Five different Michigan Center players scored, with nine goals on the board in 37 minutes. “Definitely we were talking a lot better, and I think keeping the energy up, encouraging each other throughout the entire thing allowed us to work a lot better together, get us more chances to score‚” Michigan Center’s Sophia Allen said. The Cardinals (10-4-3) out-shot Hillsdale 17-0 and had an additional 10 shots not on frame while controlling possession most of the game. Michigan Center scored with two of its first three shots of the game, then kept adding to the lead. “We have a hard time getting on the board, and sometimes you get on the board and there are long droughts,” Cardinals coach Ray Scaife said. “Just stay at it, keep working together and work it into open space.” Cecelia Scaife opened the scoring in the second minute and Allen made it 2-0 just moments later. “A lot of girls and I was just trying to get through them,” Allen said. “It’s wet, it was raining, and it was going to hopefully slip off the goalie’s hands.” From there, the Cardinals turned to strong crosses and through balls to generate chances, which helped generate seven additional goals. “We had a lot of good passing and cuts, I would pass, someone else would run around,” Allen said. “For me, it was easy, just see the wide open pass, pass through, there was a lot of movement.” In the 13th minute Cecelia Scaife sent a through ball for McKynley Gaddy for the third goal. Kaleigha Lane scored off a crossing pass not long after that. Another through ball led to another goal for Allen in the 18th minute. Mayrese Vieau added a pair of goals, one in the 27th minute from just inside the 18-yard box, the other moments later to cap off a long run. Cecelia Scaife added another in the 35th, and Lane capped off the scoring in the 37th. “It’s how we coach them to just try to be unselfish and then pass to the open player and get them involved,” Ray Scaife said. “Sometimes they were too unselfish and I was barking about that a little bit, don’t get cute and pass it too much, respect the opponent and pass it into space.” Hillsdale (1-15) had few forays into Michigan Center territory. In the ninth minute a long pass ahead for Ava Ruley was shut down by Michigan Center’s Lela Horstman. Talicia Wortham had a run up the right side moments later and took a shot, but it went wide of the frame. Hillsdale was awarded a free kick in the 23rd minute, but that was played away from the goal by the Cardinals defense. The Hornets also had a chance in the 34th minute on a cross for Cailey VanZant, but that shot went wide. The Cardinals will face either Olivet or Pennfield in the district final at Quincy on May 29.