Monday's 3-0 Community School girls' soccer victory over a determined group of Gooding Senators ushered coach Kelly Feldman's Cutthroats into today's championship game of the High Desert Soccer Conference tournament.
The 3A top-ranked Community School (15-1-0, 9-0-0 home) used the first three-goal hat trick by talented sophomore midfielder Erica Eshman and an overwhelming 38-0 shooting advantage (13-1 on corners) to send #4-seeded Gooding (6-6-2) into the consolation bracket.
Eshman (7 goals in the last 6 games, 13 season) has picked up the scoring slack caused by the absence of senior Cody Curran (15 goals season, 39 career), who is sidelined for the rest of the season with a knee injury.
Against Gooding, hard-running junior wing Maddie duPont crossed to Eshman for the game's first goal at 30 minutes. Along with duPont, speedy sophomore wings Nellie Brown, Madison Murach, Maddie-Kate Currie and freshman Emma Wilander gave the Senators fits along the flanks.
Sophomore midfielder Kerry Lee Nelson made a nice lead pass and Eshman created a wide-open scoring chance for a 2-0 lead at 69 minutes. And Brown crossed to Eshman for the 3-0 final score at 71 minutes.
Certainly the game's star Monday was Gooding goalkeeper Malan Metcalf (24 saves) and the constantly pressured Senator defense spearheaded by sweeper Destiny Pauls and left back Melissa Lockwood. Gooding shrugged off previous 7-0 and 6-0 losses to the Fish and played rock-solid defense.
Gooding coach Chris Thompson was pleased.
So was Feldman.
"We played well and I felt everyone contributed," said Feldman, who dressed and played 17. "We played some nice balls, used our speed on the outside and created a lot of scoring chances. I'm glad it was 1-0 at half because we had to fight the entire game. And our defense did a great job as well."
The Cutthroat defense anchored by Emily Eshman, Marin Shepardson and Keller Gibson was impenetrable. Midfielders Kelly Hennessy, Erica Eshman and Jessie Curran distributed the ball well all game.
It was the 13th Cutthroat shutout in 16 games. The Cutthroats have now outscored opponents 94-6. The only other Gem State 3A team with comparable dominance is #2-ranked Teton of Driggs (16-1, 68-7 goals against), who the Cutthroats likely wouldn't meet until the state championship game Oct. 20 at Buhl.
Feldman's high-scoring Cutthroats will challenge #3-seeded Filer (9-4-1) today, Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. at Elkhorn's Sagewillow Farms field for the right to advance into the State 3A tournament Oct. 18-20 in Buhl. Filer defeated #2 Buhl (9-4-1) by a 5-3 score Monday.
It would be the seventh straight state tournament berth for the Cutthroats.
The Community School, three-time defending High Desert champion, will be looking for a four-peat today and a first-round state tournament match-up against the eastern Idaho runner-up team down at Buhl.
Another thing to watch: Senior striker Hannah Hennessy (a school record 28 goals season, 40 career) needs just two goals to pass Cassidy Doucette and move into second place on the all-time Cutthroat list.
