For the week of November 5 - 11, 2003

Cutthroats reel in
third place at state

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By JODY ZARKOS
Express Staff Writer

True Grit is not just a John Wayne movie. It is also an apt summation of The Community School soccer team’s performance at last week’s State 3A girls’ soccer tournament.

The Cutthroats (11-4-2, 6-1-1 road) absorbed more blows than a punch-drunk pugilist, they but stayed on their feet long enough to win two games and finish in third place in a field of eight teams at Buhl.

Coach Kelly Feldman’s squad beat North Fremont 2-1, lost to eventual champion American Falls 1-0 and defeated Payette 3-2 for third place.

Not only did the 2003 Cutthroats log the best season record in school annals, they won two games in the State A-2/3A tournament for the first time after six narrow losses in the 2002, 2001 and 1996 tourneys.

It wasn’t easy.

When the Cutthroats were awarded the green third-place trophy, you almost expected a few Purple Heart medals to be handed out as well.

Coach Feldman ran down a list of injured players and remarked, "You know, I can’t really think of anyone who wasn’t hurt. The majority of our team was nursing some kind of injury. We were completely held together by tape."

While Sun Valley absorbed some punishment they managed to dish some out as well.

The Cutthroat best-ever success at 3A State (the school went 2-2 at the State A-3 tourney in 1999) was anchored by a determined never-say-die defense and an offense that made the most of its opportunities.

In its opening game Thursday, The Community School beat North Fremont 2-1 on Jenny Rutherford’s penalty kick with 5:22 remaining in what had been a 1-1 game.

It was the first-ever win at state for the Sun Valley girls under coach Kelly Feldman and not even Pudge Rodriguez could claim to be as proud to be a Fish as the Cutthroats were at that moment.

Cassidy Doucette netted the game’s first goal off a cross by Amy Alexander, who proved to be as gritty as sandpaper.

Just one day earlier Feldman said Alexander would not play because of a torn calf muscle, but the stalwart senior proved her wrong, putting in some valuable and inspirational minutes.

"Amy proved what an integral part of this team she is," Feldman said. "She played on guts."

The Cutthroats outshot the Huskies 14-7. Freshman keeper Oey Parker made five saves.

The win pitted the Cutthroats against American Falls in the semifinals and a defensive battle ensued.

Sun Valley’s defense, led by Ross Mills, Gussi Ochi and Caitlin Enright, held the Beavers to just one shot in the second half. There are two sides to every story and the flip side is the Beavers’ defense held Sun Valley to just one shot as well.

At the seven-minute mark, halfback Brianne Nulph converted on a corner kick to put the Beavers up 1-0. And her team held off the Cutthroats 1-0.

Feldman was not upset by her team’s first road loss of the fall season. She said, "Like I said at the half, we weren’t doing anything wrong. We did all the right things. We just didn’t get lucky."

Providence showed up Saturday just in time for the third-place match against Payette.

Ketchum was up 2-0 at the break—despite taking only two shots in the first half. Payette fired off eight and Parker, who played the game of her life, stopped seven and finished with 11 saves altogether.

Midway through the first half, a quirk led to the first Cutthroat goal. The quirk was a delayed substitution—Alexander didn’t come out of the game, despite Christina Walsworth trying to sub in.

Feldman yelled at her, "Next one, Amy." Alexander replied, "One more touch. One more touch."

Alexander made her minute count.

Picking off a clearing pass, Alexander threaded it to Doucette, who scored for a 1-0 lead. Six minutes later, freshman Alix Cayce buried a left-footed cross that would have made Mia Hamm jealous, 2-0. It was Cayce’s first varsity goal.

At the break, Feldman reminded her players that a 2-0 score in soccer is the most dangerous because one goal gets you back in the game.

The team responded and went up by three.

Midway through the second half, Morgan Arritola and Cassidy Doucette reeled off a perfect wall pass, and Arritola bent it in between the goalie and side post.

With eight minutes left, Pirates coach Vonnie Paul put goalie Mallory Barnard on the field and pushed sweeper Tennly Paul-Bowden up to wing. The moved paid off—twice.

Within a minute, Payette scored on a cross from Paul-Bowden to Mandy Grief. Grief found the back of the net again with two minutes remaining, but time ran out and the Cutthroats prevailed 3-2.

"I was looking at the clock knowing we could hold it," Feldman said.

Feldman said she was very happy with the way her team performed at state. It was the Community School’s best-ever finish going back to a fourth-place showing in 1999.

"What I am most pleased about is we had three huge efforts and everything that we worked on all season long came together in those three games," she said. "It was awesome."

Check next week’s Local Life for a team photo of the squad.

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Community School season scoring: Team offense, 39 goals. Team defense, 19. Individual scorers—Morgan Arritola 11 goals, Jenny Rutherford 10, Cassidy Doucette 8, Sara Berman 3, Amy Alexander 2, Christina Walsworth 2, Kira Tenney 1, Krista Detwiler 1 and Alix Cayce 1.

 

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