With the wind at their backs, the Richardson Pearce Lady Mustangs kept the ball in the air for much of the first half of the Brazos Valley Cup championship game. Then in the second half, they played it on the ground.

Either way, it was a breeze.

Pearce beat Bryan 8-1 on Saturday at the Aggie Soccer Complex to win the Cup title.

"There is a reason they are ranked No. 3 in the nation," first-year Bryan head coach Amy Pettibone said. "We told the girls at halftime that [Pearce] was showing them exactly what perfect soccer looks like. Their passes are right on, and their runs are great."

Pearce senior Taylor Mathews scored three goals and keyed a devastating 10-minute stretch that gave the Lady Mustangs a 5-0 lead 23 minutes into the game.

Pearce (6-2-1) found little room against Bryan's early defense, but Brooke Johnston took immediate advance of a gap. She struck a perfect shot from the right side that dipped over the outstretched hand of Lady Vikings goalkeeper Ana Meyer just under the crossbar. It was the first of two goals for Johnston, who scored again in the second half.

Pearce had seven first-half corner kicks. Mathews bent one of them into the back of the goal. She took a return pass and hit another long shot into the side of the net from a less extravagant angle.

Kathryn Watson scored the final two goals of the half, with Johnston assisting on the second of those to give Pearce a 5-0 lead. Pearce also scored the first three goals of the second half.

"We hung with them for all but about 10 minutes, but in that 10-minute span, they went crazy," Pettibone said. "In order to get where we want to go, we've got to play the best and that's the best team we are probably going to see for awhile. I haven't seen Belton play, and Belton may rank right there with them, but there's a reason why [the Lady Mustangs] are the 4A state champs."

Despite the lopsided loss in the final, Bryan (8-3-1) left clues that it may not remain a benevolent host of the Brazos Valley Cup. The Lady Vikings went 3-1 in their tournament, advancing to the championship match by beating Round Rock in a Saturday morning shootout. The teams finished regulation tied at 0, and Bryan eventually won the shootout 3-1.

Bryan's only regulation goal of the day was a good one. Junior Jessica Chicas rattled the crossbar on a hard-hit, 35-yard free kick, and freshman Brittany Little raced to the rebound and blasted a shot high into the left side of the net.

Little had a shot at another goal, heading down Bryan's only corner kick, but Pearce goalkeeper Rosa Medina played the ball perfectly.

Pearce beat Friendswood 3-1 in the semifinals. Friendswood won the third-place match 1-0 over Round Rock.