Playing an undefeated varsity like Twin Falls to a 3-2 game with four minutes left, The Community School boys' varsity soccer team showed it was ready to take on all comers Saturday in the season debut at Browning Field in Elkhorn.
The final score favored Twin Falls (3-0) by a score of 4-2, but the result indicated to Cutthroat coach Richard Whitelaw that his new boys' squad was prepared to succeed—and the Cutthroats succeeded big time Monday at home against Filer.
In the first Fourth District 3A league game of the campaign, the Cutthroats (1-1, 1-0 league) built a 9-1 lead at half and dispatched Filer 12-1.
"Man of the Match" Tanner Flanigan (4 goals) and Travis Stone (3) led the Cutthroat artillery. Singles came from Max Harris, Alden Remington, Ryon Campbell, Jackson Bates and Mac Whittington. Keeper Regan O'Reilly was rarely tested.
Saturday, Twin Falls jumped ahead 1-0 at the half on a goal by senior Ricardo Nunez, from junior Martin Arizmendi, in the 27th minute. The Cutthroats owned most of the early play but couldn't capitalize on a scoring chances by Stone and Flanigan before half.
Whitelaw said, "The first 25 minutes we played real well. With fitness and injuries and lack of depth, we ran out of gas. Down 3-0, we could have really hung our heads, but we didn't and came back to make it 3-2. That showed me something."
Twin Falls scored a pair of soft goals in the first 15 minutes of the second half, the first by Arizmendi on an assist from Ted Wunderlich, and the second by Andy Legg, unassisted.
Never quitting, the Cutthroats punched their first goal home when senior co-captain Caleb Sonneland headed home a corner kick off the foot of junior midfielder Max Harris. It was a pretty goal. Sonneland did it again on a penalty kick narrowing the deficit to 3-2.
Twin Falls, out-shooting the Cutthroats 12-6, got insurance from Legg in the 76th minute and Bruins senior keeper Jeremy Bevacqua (6 saves) was solid the rest of the way. The 5A Bruins outscored their foes 14-3 in the first three games, all played away from home.
Whitelaw named freshman left defensive back Jackson Bates as the "Man of the Match" for hustling play. He said Sonneland played well, and Stone and Flanigan appeared to be a promising combination up front.
The Cutthroats go to Declo (0-2, 0-2 league) Friday. The Hornets lost to Gooding 5-0 Wednesday and fell 10-2 to Bliss (2-0, 1-0 league) on Monday.
Bruins blank SV girls 3-0
The Community School girls' varsity soccer team opened their 2006 season against a tough 5A opponent in Twin Falls Saturday.
Led by three goals from speedy Marissa Sanchez, Twin Falls (2-1) notched a 3-0 shutout over the Cutthroats, their second shutout since a 4-1 season-opening home loss to Wood River Aug. 19.
The defending district tournament champion Cutthroats open their league season Friday with a game at Declo.
