It took almost an hour’s worth of soccer, but Nansemond River’s girls squad finally found the finishing touch on its attacking to put away four goals in the last 23 minutes of Thursday night’s Southeastern District match against visiting Deep Creek for a 4-0 win.

It was the first Southeastern win of the year for the Lady Warriors (4-6, 1-3) and NR controlled the game for most of the way, but Deep Creek had its chances to turn the match in its favor, especially in the opening half.

Nansemond River head coach Darryl Yandle felt his side let the visitors gain those chances, so when his side took the match over late, his reaction was along the lines of relief.

In the 18th minute, NR defender Sara Gallagher fouled and got a yellow card. With the card, Gallagher had to be subbed out and the Lady Hornets had a free kick just outside the right side of NR’s penalty box.

Deep Creek didn’t make anything of the scoring chance from the free kick, but two minutes later, Deep Creek was awarded a penalty kick from a NR foul in the box, despite disagreement from NR’s coaching staff.

NR keeper Rachel McManus saved the penalty kick, a shot sent straight on goal just under the crossbar, punching it over the bar, to keep the match scoreless.

“We played flat the whole first half,” Yandle said. “We talked to (our team) and warned them. Deep Creek had been taking its lumps this season, so sometimes that makes the girls think this will be an easy game.

“So we started on the wrong foot. Deep Creek puts together a couple good scoring chances and it gives them a lot of hope,” Yandle said.

“We stepped it up a little in the second half,” Yandle said.

The Lady Warriors took the lead thanks to back-to-back goals, barely more than a minute apart, by Brittany Frame.

Frame normally plays central midfield, but with the Lady Warriors keeping most of the play in DC’s end of the field, yet still needing a goal, Yandle pushed Frame up to forward in the second half.

Starting with a throw-in along the left sideline, one Lady Warrior cross cleared the penalty box, but midfielder Taylor Flick was first to the ball and she lofted a high cross into the middle of the DC box. Frame met Flick’s pass on a full volley while sprinting straight in on goal, putting a right-footed shot cleanly into the back of the net.

Quickly after the ensuing kickoff, Alisen Spruill set up the next goal for Frame. Spruill chased down a long pass down the left flank, first hustling to keep the ball inside the sideline, then keeping it from going over the endline, before chipping toward Frame in the DC box.

Frame chipped Spruill’s chip, putting it over the DC keeper and under the crossbar for a 2-0 lead.

The Lady Warrior attack continued to put the game out of reach. In the 70th minute, Danielle Gallagher scored off an assist by Sydney Short. In the 79th minute, Short scored on a full volley with Spruill getting her second assist.

The Lady Warriors continue district play Tuesday evening, travelling to Western Branch.