It took a second-half scoring surge for the Marian girls soccer team to pull away from Weatherly in a 4-1 victory Monday afternoon in the season opener for both teams.

In the first 40 minutes, Weatherly handled an aggressive Fillies attack and trailed just 1-0 thanks to the play of goalkeeper McKena Gerhard. She turned away six of seven shots on goal, with the lone score coming from Autumn Green, who converted from close range at the 23:53 mark.

The Wreckers weren’t intimidated, however, creating opportunities of their own. Marian keeper Katie Knock was equal to the task, turning aside all seven Weatherly attempts in the opening half. One of the best came off a left-footed corner from Kellyanne Kennelly, who bent two dangerous balls into the box — one of which deflected off the post.

“She’s quite the athlete, and she has that kind of potential to score for us, especially when she gets in the box,” Weatherly coach Paul Eckert said of Kennelly.

Green’s goal stood up through the break before Marian’s offense exploded in the second half. Led by Kassandra Hibbler’s two goals and another from Esme Petschauer, the Fillies quickly stretched the margin to 4-0 by the middle of the half.

“It was a team effort,” Hibbler said. “It’s not just one player — everyone gave it their all. It is all about communication, and that’s what we did very well today. Yes, I’m pleased to get the season started, and it is always good to win.”

Marian extended its lead when Petschauer scored just over four minutes into the half to make it 2-0. Then Hibbler struck twice in a span of 23 seconds — first at the 31:20 mark and again at 30:57 — to break the game open.

Her second tally came off a feed from teammate Teaghan Biros, and Hibbler was quick to credit Marian’s defense for creating scoring chances.

“I thought overall our defense was solid, and we had a pretty good afternoon,” Marian coach Bob Campomizzi said. “Our defense has a core of returnees, so there was no need to change anything.”

One of the standouts in that unit was junior Brena Farley, who was active all over the field and disrupted Weatherly’s attack before leaving late with a foot injury.

Yet possession and ball control proved to be the biggest differences. Marian dictated much of the play in the second half, wearing down the Wreckers and limiting their chances.

“This is a tough place to play — both teams don’t like each other — so it was important for us to play defense and take control early,” Campomizzi added.

ON THE BOARD ... Kennelly spoiled the shutout with a second-half goal for the Wreckers.

UP NEXT ... Marian travels to Nativity today, while Weatherly visits Schuylkill Haven.

ON THE CUSP ... Weatherly nearly tied the game several times in the first half, misfiring on four quality chances, including two direct shots that were stopped by Knock.

DIFFERENCE MAKER ... Marian’s defense was pivotal in turning the game, with Farley’s active presence setting the tone.

STATS ... Marian outshot Weatherly 15-13. Weatherly held a 4-3 edge in corner kicks.

Marian 4, Weatherly 1

Marian 1 3 - 4

Weatherly 0 1 - 1

Goals - Marian: Hibbler 2, Green, Petschauer; Weatherly: Kennelly.

Records: Marian (1-0); Weatherly (0-1)