Lady Highlander coach Tom Surkatana’s strategy of scoring early in the second half allowed FPCA to dominate Lafayette, 7-1, Tuesday at St. James in the first round of the Divison II state playoffs.
FPCA fired 39 shots on  goal compared to LaGrange’s 15. LaGrange scored first, but led for only a short time.
“They scored first, and I think that it woke us up and got us more focused, which made us play better,” Surkatana said.
Kelsey Higgason scored FPCA’s first two goals and she finished with a hat trick. Brooke Standard put in a header for a 3-1 lead. Standard also had five assists.
The final goal of the first half came from Mysheia Robinson off Megan Gillion’s athletic throw-in. Gillion also had two assists.
FPCA is the No. 1 seed, and LaGrange was a No. 4 seed.
“We wanted to send a message today, because the No. 1 seed from that region beat Lafayette, 6-0, so we beat them, 7-1, and I was able to let everyone play today,” Surkatana said.
The Lady Highlanders will have home field advantage through the playoffs.
Surkatana said he was unsure what team FPCA would play because the first rounds were ongoing. “But we know it will be a second seed and they certainly will be a better team. So we are going to have to be ready to play,” he said.
The playoffs continue at 4 p.m. Tuesday  when FPCA hosts a second round game.