Cortlyn Hefty has 12 goals in 1st 4 games, and Belvidere North is flexing muscles early on

Early on this girls soccer season, Belvidere North has given a little glimpse into just how good it can be — especially in the second half Thursday as the Blue Thunder pulled away from one of its rivals, Freeport.

The Blue Thunder's 3-0 win over Freeport boosted them to a 4-0 start, and, led by star striker Cortlyn Hefty, it showed they are for real this year.

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"We're all in, and that's showing already this season," said Hefty, who led the whole area and set a NIC-10 record last year with 47 goals. She already has 12 goals through the first four games this year. "We have 11 strong players on the field at all times. We're setting the tone for the whole season right now."

North has outscored its first four foes 19-2, and the Blue Thunder defense just shut out a potent Freeport (2-1) attack. Autumn Diduch had 40 goals last year and 37 the year before. She was neutralized on Thursday, when it was scoreless in the first half before quick goals by Hefty, Haylee Gallas and Scarlett Reece put it away for North midway through the second half.

"We wanted to get some good battles and get pushed early on, and Freeport will do that everytime," North head coach Jeremy Naff said. "We have more depth this year than in the past, and we've got a group that just knows each other."

North has 14 varsity returners from last year, and five four-year varsity players — Hefty, Reece, Peyton Debruyne, Atziri Ramos and Adiranely Galicia. It also has three freshman and a first-year junior pitching in with key minutes.

But so far, this has looked like a very cohesive team, and one that has shown no weaknesses early on.

"I would say we have one of those good problems this year, of how are we going to get so many good players their time out there," Naff said. "But it looks like we'll be able to make it work. These girls just want to win."

Jay Taft is a Rockford Register Star sports reporter. Email him at jtaft@rrstar.com and follow him on Twitter at @JayTaft. Sign up for the Rockford High School newsletter at rrstar.com. Jay has covered a wide variety of sports, from the Chicago Bears to youth sports, since the turn of the century at the Register Star, and for over 30 years all together.

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Cortlyn Hefty's 12 goals sparks strong start for Belvidere North