It's the final week of the 2008 regular season for the Wood River High School girls' and boys' soccer teams, both hopeful of playing their best soccer at tournament time.
Tuesday, coach Greg Gvozdas' 4A top-ranked Wolverine girls (11-1-0) hosted one of Idaho's best soccer teams, #3-ranked Hillcrest of Idaho Falls (10-2-0). Hillcrest brought a seven-game winning streak into the non-league clash including recent 7-3 and 4-1 wins over Madison and Pocatello.
Wood River, winners of 10 consecutive games, was trying to avenge a 2-1 State 4A tournament loss to Hillcrest last October in Pocatello. The Wolverines have outscored opponents 77-7 so far this fall.
Eight senior girls will be saluted during Thursday's "Senior Night" home game against Jerome, starting at 4 p.m. at South Valley Sports Complex soccer field in Hailey.
Then Wood River visits Burley Saturday, Oct. 4 for its final season game.
Coach Matt Phillips' Wood River boys (7-5-0, 2-2-0 league), winners of four straight games and five of their last six contests, visited Hillcrest Tuesday.
But they have their biggest Great Basin West games Thursday at top-ranked Jerome (12-0-1, 5-0-0) and Saturday at home at 11 a.m. for "Senior Night" against Burley (7-5-1, 1-3-0). The Burley-Wood River game will likely determine second place in the league and a home game when the tournament begins Oct. 9.
Successful day against Twin
Both Wood River teams had a good day hosting 5A Twin Falls Thursday for a pair of Homecoming Week games, the girls winning 6-2 and the boys taking their match 3-2.
Senior defender Sam Johnson (6 goals season, 46 career) blasted two sweet, soaring goals on 26-yard and 42-yard free kicks and senior Elsa Sweek added two goals as the girls out-shot Twin Falls (9-4-1) by a 23-10 margin and won 6-2.
Giving Wood River an early 2-0 lead with goals in the ninth and 14th minutes were top scorer Tanner Dredge (25 goals, 39 career) and senior Aimee Evans (14 goals, 65 career). Wood River built a 4-0 lead on Sweek's breakaway. Assists during the game went to Megan Morrell and Evans.
Hailey goalkeeper Madison Gove (10 saves) and Twin Falls keeper Becci Smith (10 saves) had busy days.
The Wood River boys avenged an early-season 5-2 loss with a 3-2 victory over Twin Falls on two Morgan Pike goals and the 47th-minute game winner by junior Felipe Raygoza, assisted by Pike on a breakaway.
Pike (5 goals season) scored his first goal in the first minute off a David Dredge corner kick. He added a second goal at five minutes, assisted by Austin Cruz. Twin Falls' Dustin Hegstrom scored back-to-back goals making it 2-2 before half.
Wood River out-shot Twin Falls (2-10-1) by a 13-5 margin and had a 6-1 advantage in corner kicks.
