With one team looking to regain momentum and another playing milestone soccer, a game between the two squads promised fireworks.

Unfortunately, they were one-sided.

Saugus girls soccer got a hat trick from senior Jamie Molacek and a goal and two assists from Brittanie Sakajian to beat West Ranch 4-0 on Friday at West Ranch High School to open the second half of Foothill League play.

All six teams are now on the backstretch to determine the league champion.

“I think that things are taking shape,” Molacek said. “Once we lost to Canyon, we needed to pick it up and we took it to the next level today.”

The Centurions (12-2-3, 4-1-0) was handed its first league loss of the season by the Cowboys on Monday, the same day that the Wildcats (10-6-5, 1-3-2) recorded the program’s first win over Hart.

The next day, West Ranch knotted Canyon 1-1.

“We knew they would want it,” said Saugus head coach Natalie Helgeson. “They had beaten Hart and tied Canyon, so we knew they were on a roll. So we came out fired up.”

The Centurions once again demonstrated their uncanny knack to find open teammates and connect passes all over the field.

But it was a lackluster effort by the Wildcats and a defensive breakdown in the box that led to the Centurions’ first goal.

In the 23rd minute, Molacek found a way past West Ranch goalkeeper Tina Hedwall when a poor clearance gave her the ball and an open shot.

Two minutes later, Centurions forward Nicole Penick darted up the sideline and passed the ball across the face of the goal to Sakajian, who one-timed it to the back of the net for a 2-0 lead.

By halftime, it was clear that the Wildcats were missing the extra edge that gave them two big results earlier in the week.

“In a sentence, we didn’t come out to play. It’s that simple,” said West Ranch head coach Cami Bangasser. “It was apathy across the board. With a team like Saugus, you can’t leave your marks open, you can’t give them space and you have to run as hard as you can the full 80 minutes. We didn’t bring any of that today.”

In the second half, Molacek scored her second and third goals of the game within six minutes of each other.

Both were assisted by Sakajian.

The first came in the 54th minute when Molacek found a gap near-post from the side of the box.

Then in the 60th minute, Molacek received a pass, got a step on the defense and beat Hedwall one-on-one to bring the score to 4-0.

“I think I’ve been getting so frustrated because I haven’t been in the last few games,” said Molacek of her recent performances. “I needed to prove to myself that I could do it. I’ve had a million opportunities, but they haven’t gone my way at all.”

Hedwall finished with 10 saves, while Centurions goalkeeper Kelly Parker had four.

Despite a few opportunities from distance, West Ranch was not able to break through Saugus’ defense nor disrupt the proficient passing and vision of its counterparts.

“It’s how we practice, but they have the technical ability to do that and they have for a long time,” Helgeson said.