Out-shooting the Bliss Bears 28-13, the Community School boys' soccer team turned a scoreless halftime tie into a 4-0 High Desert Soccer Conference rout over the Bliss Bears on Tuesday at Browning Field.
Coach Richard Whitelaw's Cutthroats (1-0-2, 1-0-1 league) remained unbeaten on the young 2011 soccer campaign.
Bliss senior goalie Juan Rojas (16 saves) came under a withering 14-shot Cutthroat attack in the first half and kept the home team off the scoreboard. But senior Cassidy Carson scored twice within an eight-minute span in the second half to open the floodgates.
Carson chipped a shot over Rojas at 56 minutes and then sprinted behind the Bears defense and chased down a long goal kick by junior sweeper Zach Lindahl for his second goal at the 65-minute mark.
Junior Ben Kanellitsas (assisted by Cameron Jenner) and senior Will Brokaw (assisted by senior Eric Runkel) finished the scoring at the 66-minute and 70-minute marks. Whitelaw's "Man of the Match" was junior Cameron Jenner.
Cutthroat senior goalkeeper Tom Crosby (5 saves) wasn't busy, but he did make an excellent save in the scoreless first half—timing his leap and tipping a Ruben Juarez shot safely over the net at 25 minutes.
The Community School visits 2009 State 3A champion Gooding on Tuesday, Sept. 6. Gooding has started the season with two 1-1 ties against reigning state champion Wendell and currently unbeaten Buhl.
Hat tricks for Palmer, Swanson
Coach Kelly Feldman's Community School girls (3-2-0, 2-1-0 league) captured their third consecutive win Tuesday by a 9-1 score over the Bliss Bears on the Sagewillow Farms pitch. It was 6-1 at halftime.
Senior Teagen Palmer (48 career goals for Community School and WRHS) and junior Ellie Swanson (46 Cutthroat goals) each scored three-goal hat tricks for the Cutthroats, while sophomore Hannah Dies had a pair and sophomore Jordan Fitzgerald added a single.
Bliss senior Thania Beltran scored a penalty kick at the 32-minute mark of the first half. Bears freshman goalkeeper Melissa Garza, subbing for her injured older sister Cassi Garza (ankle), was under siege. Four Cutthroat shots headed for the goal hit the crossbar or post.
Palmer scored twice in the first 13 minutes and Swanson tallied her first at 10 minutes, off a Fitzgerald corner kick. Swanson's second goal at 19 minutes came on assists from Dies and Taylor Figge.
Dies cranked home two long shots. Swanson's hat trick goal came after determined work in the box by freshman Josie Allison freed up the opportunity.
