Houghton's Kay Dart (14) and Marquette's Lyla Isaacson (8) battle for a loose ball at midfield Tuesday at Houghton High School's Alumni Field. (Eddie O’Neill/For the Gazette)

HOUGHTON — The snow had melted and the sun was shining at Alumni Field in Houghton Tuesday as the Houghton Gremlins girls welcomed the Marquette Sentinels to a friendly game of soccer.

From the start, the game pitted the depth and experience of Marquette versus the youth and inexperience of Houghton. That depth and experience won out, 8-0. The game ended with just over 15 minutes played of the second half with an eighth goal scored by Marquette that invoked the mercy rule.

In the first 40 minutes, the Sentinels scored early and often. Avery Osborne got her squad on the scoreboard first with a long blast from 20 yards out that was all net. She scored the Sentinels’ second goal as well just three minutes later at the 35-minute mark.

In the end, Osborne tallied an impressive four goals.

She was not the only one who had a hat trick. Joining her with goals No. 3, 5 and 6 was junior Preslie Mason.

The third goal scorer for the Sentinels was freshman Sydney Kuhl. She ended the game with a netter at the 23:25 mark of the second.

Despite the shutout loss, newly-minted Houghton coach Elin Erkkila was pleased with the effort. She said she had a good group of girls and that makes her job easier.

“We communicated well, but we need to get better at passing and working together as a unit,” she said. “We are a young team, with just five or six returners, and around 10 (girls) who have not played soccer before. But, I am happy to see little improvements here and there.”