Finally scored upon in their fourth games, The Community School boys' and girls' soccer teams nevertheless stayed unbeaten in High Desert Soccer Conference play. The boys won 4-1 and the girls 6-1 in matches with the Wendell Trojans Tuesday afternoon at Sagewillow Farms.
Senior Travis Stone and sophomore Tanner Flanigan scored twice apiece for coach Richard Whitelaw's Cutthroat boys, who are now 4-0-0 in both overall and league play. The loss dropped Wendell to 0-2-1 overall and in league play.
Trojan goalkeeper Rafael Alvarez blocked numerous shots to keep the final score from being more lopsided. He made 13 saves in a first half alone when the Cutthroats out-shot Wendell 16-5.
But the pressure was too much as the Cutthroats staged a passing clinic and looked for through balls to speedy strikers Stone and Flanigan whenever they had an opportunity.
Senior co-captain and midfielder Max Harris dispatched the first effective through ball that sent Stone in for a low winner at 13 minutes and gave the Cutthroats a 1-0 lead.
Harris sent Stone in again one minute later, but Alvarez stopped the breakaway. A through ball from senior defender Mac Whittington put Flanigan ahead and he tapped it into the right corner for a 2-0 Sun Valley lead at 24 minutes.
Stone's throw-in and "Man of the Match" Flanigan's conversion made it 3-0 with one minute left in the 40-minute first half. Co-captain Stone scored his second goal and seventh of the season after the half. Wendell's Miguel Orozco finally broke up the shutout in the 65th minute.
The Cutthroat defense of Whittington, sweeper Alex Conn, Tyler Davis and Bergen Palmer mainly held the speedy Trojans at bay. Harris and co-captain Connor Brown dominated the midfield against Wendell.
Earlier Tuesday, coach Kelly Feldman's Cutthroat girls built a 5-0 halftime lead, out-shot Wendell 23-4 for the game and cruised to a 6-1 league win. Feldman withheld many of her varsity players in the second half and played younger athletes against outmatched Wendell (0-3-0).
Sophomore Erica Eshman and senior Jessie Curran scored two goals each. Senior Cody Curran added another and freshman Emma Wilander scored her first goal on the varsity squad, a nice left-footer 21 minutes into the second half.
Wendell's Whitney Sams broke up the shutout 34 minutes after half.
Erica Eshman ran very strong in the midfield and stashed home the first goal at five minutes with a fine individual effort. Jessie Curran found the corner with a left-footer at 10 minutes, Cody Curran blasted a 27-yard floater for a 3-0 cushion at 12 minutes and Jessie Curran redirected a lovely cross pass from sophomore Nellie Brown at 14 minutes.
A pretty centering pass from Jessie Curran enabled Erica Eshman to score her second at 17 minutes.
The Cutthroat boys entertain 4A Minico Spartans (4-1-2, 1-1-0 Great Basin West) at Browning Field Saturday, Sept. 8, at 11 a.m. Sun Valley hosts Buhl (0-5-0, 0-4-0) next Tuesday. Buhl's boys fell 6-1 at Declo Tuesday afternoon.
Sun Valley's girls, at 4-0-0 both overall and in league, host Minico (0-5-1) at 11 a.m. Saturday. Next Tuesday the Cutthroat girls host 2006 state qualifier Buhl (2-1-1) in a rematch of the High Desert girls' title game won by the Cutthroats 6-2 last October.