WEIRTON — The Weir High Red Riders bounced back from a tough opening loss to Morgantown by playing solid in all phases in a dominant 10-0, mercy-rule shortened victory against visiting John Marshall.

Seniors Kaelyn Engle and Kylie Dunmyer each recorded hat tricks, with Engle’s third coming with 18:22 left in regulation for the 10th and match-ending tally.

Weir’s players utilized their speed and solid passing ability to work the ball around the entire field, creating openings and finding just enough space to slip passes through and set up teammates.

Brynn Artman registered three assists herself while Elliana Noel provided two helpers.

“I told them, especially when we got up six or seven, to start passing more and get in that extra work,” Weir head coach Jeremy Angelo noted. “Get the crosses and do the things teams are going to make you do to be able to score. Get that work in there.

“We also moved people around and put them in different spots.”

Already down a player with senior Madelyn Cramer recovering from an injury, Weir doesn’t possess the ability to empty the bench.

But Angelo did sub when he could and move players into spots not considered their normal positions of strength.

Engle and Dunmyer traded goals for the team’s first four, with Dunmyer recording her hat trick with 24:18 showing on an assist from Artman. That made the tally 5-0.

Two goals followed and Weir had a sizable lead, 7-0, at the break.

On the opposite end, Weir’s back line and speed advantage in its midfield meant scoring opportunities for John Marshall were few and far between.

“That’s part of our strategy,” Angelo said. “We want to make it difficult and make them play the balls where we want them to play them.”

The Monarchs appeared to make a couple of runs and even took a few corner kicks, but the Monarchs were turned away at every juncture and never managed a clear shot at Weir keeper Bella Weber.

Taking over for four-year starter Reyna Hoover, who graduated in the spring, Weber’s first start of the season came in the 7-1 loss to perennial Big School power Morgantown.

Weir heads to Wheeling on Thursday to face Wheeling Central in a match originally scheduled for Jimmy Carey Stadium. But the Weir High football team’s game got moved to Thursday and will be televised, necessitating the move.

JM, meanwhile, fell to 1-3 and will face an always dangerous Parkersburg South team on Wednesday at Monarch Stadium in Moundsville.