The Minico Spartans played as hard as they could, but they were no match for the powerful Wood River High School girls' varsity soccer team Tuesday at the South Valley Sports Complex field in Hailey.
Wood River (9-0-1, 3-0 league) out shot the Spartans 37-1 and scored four goals in each half en route to a commanding 8-0 Great Basin Conference West triumph. The Wolverines focused on improving their passing and getting everybody involved.
Sophomores Sam Johnson and Delaney Fox each scored two goals as the Wolverines improved their goals-against ratio to 51-5 this year.
Aimee Evans passed to senior Brianna Hull-Mullins, who hit the top of the net for a 1-0 lead at nine minutes. Fox (6 goals) picked off a Spartan clearing pass and made it 2-0 at 23 minutes. Then Johnson slammed one home off the crossbar for a 3-0 game at 26 minutes. Calley Brown hammered home an Alexa Turzian pass for a 4-0 lead at 40 minutes.
Evans (11 goals) scored in her sixth straight game on a pretty lead pass by Hull-Mullins less than a minute into the second half. A nice passing combo between Johnson and Fox ended up in Fox's second goal at 43 minutes. Johnson (11 goals) drove a ball that deflected into the net off a Minico player at 55 minutes.
Senior Kaitlin Gasenica (5 goals) finalized the score at 8-0 on a feed from junior fullback Kallie Skahill.
The Wolverines have a make-up Great Basin Conference West game with Jerome on Tuesday, Sept. 26, at 4:30 p.m. at South Valley Sports Complex soccer field in Hailey. It will be "Senior Night" for Hailey.
Wolverine boys defeat Minico 2-1
Juniors Erwin Roman and Ross Parsons scored first-half goals and the Wood River High School boys' varsity soccer team stubbornly hung on for a 2-1 Great Basin Conference West victory over the Minico Spartans Tuesday.
Roman scored his second goal of the season on a pass from co-captain Parsons in the 13th minute. Minico equalized at 28 minutes, then Parsons tallied the game winner on a pass from junior Ruben Hinojo at 38 minutes. It was scoreless thereafter.
Wood River coach Farrell Swain said, "Ross (center midfielder Parsons) played awesome and Colter Brehmer also played well in the goal for us."
Wood River (3-7-1, 2-2 league) snapped a four-game winless streak and put itself in solid position to gain the second seed in the four-team league—and home field advantage for a first-round game--with the Great Basin tournament starting Oct. 7.
Swain said about Tuesday's trip to Rupert, "We went down and got a 'W'. It would be good to have a few more wins before the district tournament."
Wood River entertains Minico (1-9, 1-3 league) Sept. 28 and Jerome Sept. 30. Burley will be the top seed with a 10-0 record so far.
Wolverines battle Cutthroats on Saturday
Longtime boys' and girls' prep soccer rivals, The Community School and Wood River High School, will have their only varsity meetings of the 2006 season Saturday, Sept. 23, at Sagewillow Farms in Elkhorn.
The girls' game takes place at 2 p.m. followed by the boys at 4 p.m.
Both games should be very competitive, particularly because the smaller-in-population 3A Community School is enjoying one of its best autumns for the girls and boys. Normally 4A Wood River would be favored because of its size alone.
The Wolverine girls lead the 20-game varsity soccer series with the Cutthroats 12-3-5 and have won three straight meetings including last year's 3-0 victory in Hailey. The Cutthroats last won 2-1 in an overtime shootout in 2002 in Hailey.
Wood River's boys have won five consecutive games over the Cutthroats and boast a 31-18-3 edge in the 52-game series dating to 1983. But while Wood River is nearly unbeatable at home (18-4-2 including last year's 5-1 win), they are vulnerable playing in Sun Valley where the Cutthroats have a 12-11-1 advantage.
Wood River sophomore Sam Johnson scoots one past a Minico defender in one of two goals she scored Tuesday against the Spartans. The Wood River girls overpowered Minico 8-0. Photo by David N. Seelig
