The Filer Wildcats are still harboring hopes for a return to the State 3A girls' soccer tournament in Twin Falls Oct. 21. As of Wednesday, Filer is just tipping its hat to the dominant Community School Cutthroats.
Coach Kelly Feldman's Cutthroats completely overwhelmed Filer with an 80-minute display of ball movement, scoring ability and depth Wednesday on the Sagewillow Farms soccer field in Elkhorn.
Sophomore Ellie Swanson (18 goals season, 30 goals career) and freshman Hannah Dies (11 goals) each scored three-goal hat tricks and freshman Jordan Fitzgerald (7 goals) added a single goal in the 7-0 Cutthroat rout of Filer.
Winning their eighth straight game, the Cutthroats out-shot Filer (5-4-1, 4-2-1) by a wide 31-1 margin including a 7-0 advantage in corner kicks. The busiest player on the field was Wildcat junior goalkeeper Maycee Reeder (18 saves).
Ninth-year Cutthroat coach Kelly Feldman (96-44-9) said, "It's nice to know we can play this well against a decent team like Filer. We moved the ball well and moved off the ball well. Everything was clicking."
Keep in mind this year's Cutthroat edition (8-1-0, 7-0-0 league, 58-12 goals against) is just one year removed from its series of three excellent games against Filer in 2009. Last fall Filer beat the Cutthroats 4-0, the teams played to a 1-1 tie and, in the league championship game at Filer, the Cutthroats managed to win 2-1.
It's a different story this year. The Cutthroats began their win streak with a 4-2 win at Filer Aug. 23. Since, they've outscored foes 54-4. "I'm pleased with the way we've come together," Feldman said.
With young Swanson and Dies lighting it up with goals, High Desert Soccer Conference (HDSC) opponents fighting for one of the two league berths in the Oct. 21-23 State 3A tournament must wonder where the Cutthroats get their scorers.
Swanson has 18 in just nine games. Last year Erica Eshman had 23. The year before Teagen Palmer had 25. In 2007 Hannah Hennessy scored a school single-season record 30 goals.
It's not just the players up front. Leading the Cutthroats are two hard-working and talented seniors—defender Emma Wilander and midfielder Freya Dickey. They were at their best Wednesday, stopping attacks and controlling the midfield.
"Emma is playing so smart and she has the speed. She's probably as fast as Ellie (Swanson). Emma gets to everything and, since we moved her to the middle of the defense, she has stepped up her leadership role. It's great having her back there," said Feldman.
Unselfish is the word for Dickey, who dazzles with quickness and a nose for the ball. Feldman said, "Nobody is quicker or more mobile than Freya. People don't see her coming and she just gets to the ball and takes it away. She has tremendous work ethic."
Wednesday, the Cutthroats peppered Filer keeper Reeder with shots from the outset and Swanson scored with a 17-yard shot from Whitney Engelmann at eight minutes. A long throw-in from Hailey Rheinschild went to Swanson on the left wing. She faked a defender and crossed a ball that Dies rammed home at 14 minutes.
It was 2-0 at half. Swanson's long cross pass found the net at 45 minutes, then great hustle by Dickey pushed the ball up on the right wing to Fitzgerald. She centered to Dies, who hit the top of the net at 51 minutes. That 4-0 lead became 5-0 when Erin Hennessy's long lead pass from the defense sent Swanson in alone for her hat trick.
Prettiest play of the day was Fitzgerald's beautiful cross that Dies headed home for her hat trick at 78 minutes. Fitzgerald went in alone for a 7-0 lead a minute later to end the scoring.
The Community School faces its biggest challenge Saturday, Sept. 18 with an 11 a.m. non-league game in Twin Falls against the highly regarded 4A Twin Falls Bruins (7-1-0).
The Bruins, 3-1 home winners over Wood River Sept. 9, carried a four-game winning streak and 43-7 goals against into their home game against Canyon Ridge Thursday. Only Highland of Pocatello, a 5-2 winner Aug. 31, has solved Twin Falls this season. The Cutthroats fell 6-0 to Twin Falls in their season opener.
Next week, the Cutthroats are on the road for High Desert games at Wendell Monday, at Declo Wednesday and at Bliss Friday, Sept. 24. Then the team has 10 days off. It's possible Feldman could reach the century mark in Cutthroat coaching wins Oct. 4 at Buhl.
Community School junior Hailey Rheinschild (right) hustles down the wing past Filer freshman Anna Williams looking during the 7-0 Cutthroat win Wednesday at Sagewillow Farms. Photo by David N. Seelig
