Coming into the season, the main question around the Plainfield East girls soccer team was how fast the younger players would be able to grow up. The biggest key to that has been the leadership from the few seniors on the roster.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Bengals saw one senior leader and one youngster step up in a big way.

The Bengals were tied with Joliet Central at the midway point at Joliet Central Stadium as the teams were dead even for the first 40 minutes. The second 40, though, belonged exclusively to the Bengals, who ran away with a 9-3 win.

Senior Kessiah Purnell scored five goals in total, picking up a brace in the first half and securing a hat trick in the second. Sophomore Daniella Escobar finished with a hat trick, with all of her goals coming in the final 40 minutes of play.

“The difference (in the second half) was the intensity,” Purnell said. “I definitely feel like after seeing the score in the first half we realized we had a lot more potential. Everyone just kind of picked up the energy from there.”

It’s been an up-and-down season for Plainfield East (5-4). The team has mostly alternated between wins and losses, and often with lopsided results whether it’s the winning or losing team.

Part of that can be expected with a starting lineup that has eight underclassmen. If Tuesday is an indication, though, the Bengals are growing together right now.

“We’ve been playing as a team and connecting more lately,” Escobar said. “We’ve been playing more together instead of individually.”

Again, part of that can be attributed to strong leadership. Purnell entered Tuesday with six goals on the season and almost had that same number in one game. She’s now just one off from her 2025 total of 12 goals.

“This year has been different compared to last year considering I’m a captain now,” Purnell said. ”I’m learning more about leadership and I’m just bonding way more with my team than I did last year."

Joliet Central actually scored first when Kathleen Hernandez put one in during the 14th minute, but Purnell scored in the 23rd and 35th minutes to give the Bengals the lead. Izabel Barrera tied it up with just a minute before halftime at 2-2.

Purnell turned it on from there, as she scored her third goal less than a minute into the second half. Escobar scored 10 minutes later, Purnell two minutes after that, and Escobar 20 seconds after that.

Escobar made it a hat trick in the 60th minute and Purnell ended her day with a fifth goal four minutes later. Senior Emma Uson scored with six minutes left on the clock yo give Plainfield East nine goals while Barrera gave the Steelmen their third and final goal with two minutes remaining.

“It feels pretty good,” Escobar said. “I’m pretty confident in this team and hopefully we continue like this throughout the season.”

The Steelmen (3-6) have now lost three in a row, but deserve praise for how well they played in the first half. The time of possession was roughly even and they managed to create several quality chances.

“The big message I would say is that, one, I’m super impressed,” coach Stephanie Phillips said. “We have not been able to score against Plainfield East in the past. Being able to score two goals in the first half and a third in the second is really impressive.

“I think this speaks to the work that we’ve put in all season. We’re focusing on positioning, working hard and going first to the ball. I think that really helped us with the first half, and we’ll have to keep working on that.”