Still rolling toward state, The Community School girls' soccer team blanked the Bliss Bears 7-0 Monday at Elkhorn's Sagewillow Farms and earned a berth in today's High Desert Soccer Conference championship game, against rival Buhl.
Sophomore Ellie Swanson (26 goals, 38 career) scored her fourth three-goal hat trick of the season as the Cutthroats (14-2-0) posted their ninth shutout and sixth straight win. Swanson, pulling closer to the school's single-season scoring record of 30, added an assist.
Kelly Feldman's Cutthroats, winners of seven district titles in her eight previous seasons of coaching, will host #3-seeded Buhl (11-5-0) today, Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. for the league title. The visiting Cutthroats beat Filer 2-1 for last year's championship, but Buhl upset the Cutthroats 4-3 back in 2008.
Adding goals for the Cutthroats Monday were Freya Dickey, Hannah Dies (18 goals), Katie Feldman and India Emerick. Credited with assists were Hailey Rheinschild and Jordan Fitzgerald. In Monday's other semi-final game, Buhl defeated Filer (10-7-1) in a shootout 2-1.
The Community School is shooting for its 10th straight state tournament berth against a team it handled twice this season by 3-0 and 6-1 scores.
Boys play at Buhl today
Coach Richard Whitelaw's Community School boys' soccer team is still alive and kicking, thanks to a second-half goal by sophomore Mason Noyes (from Tony Martin) in Saturday's 1-0 loser-out victory over Filer in Twin Falls.
Whitelaw's "Man of the Match" in Saturday's first round game of the HDSC tourney at Sunway Sports Complex was junior goalkeeper Tom Crosby (12 saves), who posted his fifth shutout. Filer out-shot the Cutthroats 14-5 but Crosby and his defense excelled.
Zach Lindahl, Calder Zarkos, Colin Waycott and Tim Kanellitsas held off the #4-seeded Filer (6-10-1) strikers.
The win gave the Cutthroats at least two more games in the seven-team tourney and sent Sun Valley (6-8-1) to top-seeded Wendell (14-1-0) Monday for a semi-final game. High-scoring Wendell prevailed 2-0 despite the efforts of Crosby (14 saves).
Whitelaw's "Man of the Match" Monday was junior co-captain Tim Kanellitsas. The Cutthroats play again today, Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. at #3-seeded Buhl (6-8-2), an 8-4 loser to #2-seeded Gooding (12-2-0).
Community School junior midfielder Cassidy Carson pursues a ball during a Browning Field home game against Gooding earlier this season. Photo by David N. Seelig
