Step one is done for Hailey girls soccer
Great Basin champs earn state trip
Senior Ireland King scores the third goal during Wood River?s 4-0 district championship game victory over Minico in Hailey Saturday morning. Teammates Erin McQueen and Kacie Femling look on. Photo by David N. Seelig
|
|
Their goals didn?t include piling up a 14-0-1 record and outscoring their opponents by an amazing margin of 62-1 over the course of the season.
Those numbers were just gravy, a side product of Wood River?s foundation of speed, depth and defense.
Actually first-year head coach Greg Gvozdas and Wood River High School girls? varsity soccer players had only one goal in mind this fall?making the State 4A tournament in their first year playing at the tougher level.
Top-seeded Wood River accomplished that goal in a breeze last week during the Great Basin West Conference tournament. Now, Wood River will be making its 10th consecutive trip to the Idaho soccer tournament.
The Wolverines battered #4 Jerome Thursday with a school record for single game goals, 14-0, then won the district crown and earned a state berth Saturday 4-0 over Minico.
Shots told the tale of Wood River?s dominance. The Wolverines out-shot Jerome 34-1 and out-shot Minico 31-0.
Both games took place at friendly South Valley Sports Complex soccer field in Hailey, where Wood River has a 9-0 record on its big field in 2004.
Gvozdas said, ?The girls played hard. We had a lot of possession, and many different players scored goals.?
Saturday?s championship game against Minico (7-12-1) was virtually decided in the first 20 seconds when junior Margii Driscoll (19 goals) solved the Spartan defense and gave Hailey the only goal it needed.
Kaitlin Gasenica, Wood River junior midfielder, made it 2-0 at the half. Senior Ireland King and sophomore Tara Cappel (header) rounded out the scoring after intermission.
Thursday?s game against Jerome was even more lopsided. Erin McQueen (assist to King), Gasenica and Driscoll tallied goals in the first 18 minutes, then Wood River literally poured out great scoring chances and ended up ahead 9-0 after 40 minutes. The Wolverines out-shot Jerome 22-0.
Gasenica and sophomore Calley Brown ended up with two goals apiece and 10 Wolverines added single goals.
Besides McQueen and Driscoll, they were Brianna Hull-Mullins, Cappel, senior co-captains Gina Thomas and Ashley Mardian, senior goalkeeper Jessi Pieschl (playing upfield), sweeper Katie Jensen, seniors Hilary Field and Ireland King.
Not minimizing the accomplishment, but now the tough part begins for Wood River, which has a 14-0 record over Minico, 12-0 over Burley and 2-0 over Jerome in soccer games between the schools dating to 1995.
The season is down to four games, the first of which will be played Thursday, Oct. 21 at 5 p.m. at South Valley Sports Complex between Wood River and Fifth District champ Century. Both teams are going to state, but this one is for bravado and state tourney seeding.
It?s a rematch of two of Wood River?s best games?the 0-0 tie in Pocatello Sept. 16 and the 4-0 Wolverine win over the defending State 4A champs Oct. 2 in Hailey.
Century, trailing 1-0 at half and equalizing 1-1 in the second half, won the Fifth District tournament Saturday with a double overtime shootout victory over Pocatello. The Diamondbacks made eight shootout goals in 10 attempts, to seven for Pocatello.
If #1-ranked Wood River wins Thursday, the Hailey girls open the State 4A tourney Oct. 28 against the playoff winner between the northern Idaho runner-up and Boise-area third-place team. Next up in all likelihood would be #2 Emmett (16-1-1) in the winner semi.
If Wood River loses to Century, they?ll open against the Idaho Falls area champion and probably face the northern Idaho winner, likely Sandpoint, in the semi-final. It will all take place at the Capital Soccer Complex in Meridian.
