The Meridian High School Lady Wildcats upped their record this season to 5-4-1 behind an early volley of shots — two by twins Jenna and Maddie Topcik — that shelled Quitman High School at Ray Stadium.

Three first-period goals set the tone for the chilly evening, as the Lady Wildcats defeated the Lady Panthers 3-0.

“It took us a while to get going — (Quitman) put a lot of numbers behind the ball, but it seemed like in the first half, once we got the first one, it just got rolling,” Meridian head coach Tyler Germany said. “The second half, we didn’t play well at all, but we look to build on it tomorrow night, and opening district (play) Tuesday.”

Jenna Topcik tapped the ball into the net in the 12th minute of the first half to give Meridian the early 1-0 lead.

“(The defender) kind of lost the ball, if I recall, and so, Kai (Horne) won it and passed it to me,” Jenna Topcik said. “It was right in front of the goal, and all I had to do was shoot it. My teammates were so happy, and it just pumped them up.”

Not to be outdone by her twin sister, Maddie Topcik followed with her own goal when she blasted the soccer ball past Quitman’s (0-7-1) goalkeeper in the 30th minute of the first half. Maddie Topick said she and her sister are each other’s biggest supporters on and off the soccer field.

“We’re teammates, so we have to work together, but, when she’s on the field, I always try to help (Jenna) and encourage her,” Maddie Topcik said. “Sometimes, I try to outdo her, but she’s always shining like a star.”

Horne crashed the the Topcik family scoring party in the 36th minute when she headed the ball in off of a penalty kick, which moved the Lady Wildcats’ lead to 3-0, where it would stand at the end of the first half.

Quitman, which struggled to advance the ball to Meridian’s half of the field, saw one of its rare chances at a first-half goal dashed when Mary Margaret Whigham’s penalty kick sailed wide of Meridian’s goal in the 23rd minute.

“We’re bad at pressuring the ball up at the top, so we don’t get a lot of opportunities like that,” Quitman head coach Adam Boyette said. “(Mary Margaret) was my best person to take the shot, so she took it. She’s always out there hustling around, so I figured she’d probably be my best chance.”

Meridian’s three first-half goals were all it needed to seal the victory, as the Lady Wildcats’ defense built an impenetrable fortress around their half of the field in the second period. 

Meridian lost starting goalkeeper Kelly Bator in the first half after she injured her leg while attempting to kick the ball away from a Quitman player as she approached the goal. 

“Defense has played pretty well this year — lights out,” Germany said. “Obviously, it hurts losing Kelly Bator, our goalkeeper, but the defense has played lights out all year.”

Up next: Meridian hosts Crystal Springs High School Friday night, while Quitman hosts Philadelphia High School Friday night.