Hailey girls hold Century to scoreless
WRHS remains unbeaten, unscored upon
Nobody scored a goal in 80 minutes when the Wood River High School girls? varsity soccer team clashed with the defending State 4A champion Century Diamondbacks Thursday in Pocatello.
The 0-0 scoreless tie was probably a good thing for Wood River, which is trying to establish itself as a power in its first year in the 4A ranks. So far, the Wolverines have done just that.
Wood River is currently ranked #1 in the Idahosports.com 4A girls? soccer poll. The game against Century was Hailey?s first major test and they passed, although first-year head coach Greg Gvozdas wasn?t entirely satisfied.
He said, ?I?m pleased we showed well against Century. It was quick and back-and-forth the whole way. We had to be involved from the first whistle to the end?we couldn?t take a break. But that?s the kind of game we?ve been looking forward to in going to 4A.
?We did have a couple of good chances late in the game.?
?Century was a very good team. They?ll give everybody a tough time. They built out of the back well and everybody had clean touches. They tried many of the things we try?possessing the ball and playing it on the ground. It was a good soccer game.?
Wood River (6-0-1, 2-0 league) has been strong defensively the whole season, outscoring opponents 21-0. But senior goalkeeper Jessi Pieschl has rarely been tested. That changed against Century?s powerhouse.
?Jessi was tested and had to make five or six saves,? said Gvozdas. ?Offensively, Erin McQueen had an excellent game for us.?
Gvozdas said he doesn?t get overwhelmed by the early-season #1 ranking because many of the scores of strong teams like Sandpoint and Moscow aren?t reported, which makes the entire poll ?a little blurry,? he said.
Mainly, he?s encouraged by the way the Wood River girls have risen to the challenges they have faced. And they faced another big one Tuesday with a home game against Pocatello. Wood River won at Pocatello 3-0 on Sept. 7.
Gvozdas said he viewed Pocatello as a dangerous opponent, based on its recent 8-1 home win over Minico and 2-2 tie with Preston. A win over Pocatello coupled with league wins over Burley Sept. 23 and Minico Sept. 30 would keep Wood River unbeaten going into its home rematch with Century on Saturday, Oct. 2 in Hailey.
Burley (0-6, 0-2 league after its 6-1 loss at Minico and 3-0 loss to Preston), is the only team Wood River has yet to play this season. Wood River (3-0 home) meets the Bobcats Thursday at 4:30 p.m. at South Valley Sports Complex soccer field in Hailey.
