Soccer team earns conference respect
Andrew Christiansen
Reporter
It didn't take Goldendale long to score its first soccer win of the year, as they downed Royal 1-0 last week in their opening match of the season. It wasn't so much the fact they won, after all, Royal is not a power in the league, but it was a new look on the field for Goldendale. A look of confidence and aggressive play.
Andrea Keffeler punched in the only goal of the match at the 20 minute mark of the first half with an assist from Nicole Seward. Dallas Smith was strong in goal with five saves and the team defense withstood a desperation power play, corner kick for the win.
The next two matches made it clear to the rest of the league that this Timberwolf team cannot be taken lightly. On Thursday, the Wolves scared Wahluke, losing in an overtime shootout, and on Saturday, Goldendale won the league opener at Warden.
Versus Wahluke
The Timberwolves had their way with the visiting Wahluke Warriors for all but five minutes of the 80 minute match, but that five minute lapse led to a 3-2 win for Wahluke.
The Timberwolves quickly broke on top in the first half about 10 minutes into the game when Andrea Keffeler battled in the corner and fired a nice pass to Carlee Wheelon in the middle for the score. Four minutes later the Wolves made it 2-0 on a soft shot by Kyla Crawford that was misplayed by goalie Yolanda Solis. Avery Morgan got the assist.
The pattern for the game was set with Goldendale showing more quickness to the ball and Wahluke making their runs with long passes off strong legs. The Warriors made it 2-1, but Goldendale threatened again on a hard shot by Nicole Seward. This time Solis came through with a nice, diving save.
Defense took over in the second half with few shots on goal, but both goalies, Solis, for Wahluke and Dallas Smith, for Goldendale, were sharp. Wahluke turned up the pressure midway through the half and Goldendale defenders broke up several attacks, led by strong play from Johna Kartes in the middle and Taylor Gaston and McKayla Whitmire on the wings. The pressure eventually paid off for the Warriors. With three minutes left in the match, a tired Timberwolf team was unable to clear the ball from in front of the net and Wahluke drilled in the tying score from point blank range.
Overtime would begin with a pair of five-minute sudden death periods. Wahluke made a charge in the first period, but Smith scraped off the attacker, killing the threat. In the second period, Siobhan Yothers made a strong run down the left side and Goldendale had a four on two advantage, but couldn't get a pass to the middle. Keffeler got deep one time, but couldn't get a shot on goal. The period ended on a corner kick from Morgan that was intercepted by Wahluke.
That led to a shoot-out with alternating players taking shots from the penalty shot line and the goalies as the only defenders. Wahluke's stronger legs paid off with hard shots at Smith. Wahluke hit their second shot and Yothers tied it for Goldendale on their second shot. Wahluke's third shot also got by a diving Smith. The final shots all missed and Wahluke came away with the win.
Versus Warden
The defense rose again, last Saturday to give Goldendale it's first league win of the season, 1-0 over Warden. It was Keffeler again scoring the only goal, unassisted with 15 minutes left in the match. Smith was impenetrable at goal, turning away 14 Cougar shots.
The Timberwolves gained respect from the Warriors, who finished fifth last year in the 12 team SCAC. The squeaker against Goldendale came on the heels of a 7-0 Warrior win over Granger.
Goldendale is now 2-1 on the season. Coach Jimmy Dick attributes much of the improvement to experience, which shows in the way the girls attack the ball instead of the defensive approach that was often evident in previous years. It also helps that the Wolves have 23 players this year, making them one of the larger squads in the league. It allows Dick to substitute key players to keep fresh legs on the field.
Things will soon get tougher for the Timberwolves as they face last year's top teams in the league. First up was 2008 2B state champion, LaSalle on Tuesday, then road games at Ki-Be and Naches Valley on Thursday and Saturday, and a very tough Highland Scotties in Goldendale on Sept. 22.
Defense shines as Wolves crush Bears
Andrew Christiansen
Reporter
Goldendale made it 2-0 on the season, with an easy 40-7 romp over the Kiona-Benton Bears. It was a big night for the defense, causing the Bears to cough up the ball five times, including two interceptions for touchdowns by linebackers Zane MacRae and Aaron Cochran. Equally important, the Timberwolves had no turnovers, a big improvement over game one.
Goldendale's first score followed a fumble recovery by Billy Monroe at the Goldendale 41. Nice running by Torey Spaulding-Jimenez and JimJack Davenport plus a pass from Ty Cronin to JD Moss marched the Wolves 59 yards on eight plays with Davenport scoring from four yards out.
Ki-Be fumbled on their next possession, with Cochran recovering. Cronin hit Moss for 25 yards and Davenport broke free on the right side and ran for a touchdown, but a holding penalty brought the play back. On the first play of the second quarter, MacRae broke to the corner from his tight end position and Cronin put the ball on target for a 20 yard touchdown.
Ki-Be quarterback, Matt McCallum tested Goldendale's pass defense, putting the ball in the air 27 times, but the Wolves were on the receivers, even when they managed to complete on 13 attempts for just 101 yards. The run defense was even tighter, as the Bears had only 1.4 yards per carry. The mismatch allowed Goldendale to get a lot of players into the game, as they scored on their first four possessions.
Spaulding-Jimenez had a two-yard touchdown to make it 20-0. Three plays later, MacRae had his pick running for 43 yards for a touchdown.
Both teams had trouble moving the ball early in the second half. On Ki-Be's second drive of the quarter, Cochran picked off a pass and looked like a running back, following blockers and making a couple of nice moves to score from 37 yards out. The rout was on.
Cronin left the game early in the fourth quarter and was replaced by Riley Ross. Ross wasn't able to connect with receivers Nathan Bischoff and Chase Wing on his first series, but put the final score on the board, a 37 yard pass to Wing, taking advantage of the 6-2 receiver's edge over 5-10 Scott Christensen on a corner pattern.
Seth Davis, a senior from Klickitat, playing in Goldendale this year, saw his first action and had six carries for 23 yards on the scoring drive. Braydon Ross was good on four extra-point kicks, missing a long PAT from 35 yards out due to a personal foul after MacRae's interception return.
Penalties are an area for improvement, as Goldendale was flagged 12 times for 92 yards. That includes four motion penalties, which they avoided last week, and four holding penalties, which was a problem against Columbia. League play begins this Friday for Goldendale at Mabton.
Matai rumbles for 271 against South Wasco
Andrew Christiansen
Reporter
Henry Matai rushed for a respectable 150 yards on five carries, against South Wasco County, last Friday. Pretty good game stats, except that was just the first quarter. Matai tacked on another 121 yards for a total of 271 yards on 21 carries. The game was a 35-0 blow-out for Lyle-Wishram that also featured a Cody Carlsen 95 yard interception return for a touchdown.
The Cougars were firing on all cylinders against the Redsides, with a stifling defense that had only a couple of lapses, including one that Carlsen erased with his interception and touchdown. Matai led the team with seven tackles and Keale Wiseman had five. Every player was credited with a tackle in a true team effort.
Flo Forsthuber had another good game at quarterback, hitting Nolan Smith twice on passes, one for an 11 yard touchdown, and carrying four times for 16 yards. Forsthuber also intercepted the final pass of the game.
Carlsen saw his first action as a running back. After a steady dose of Matai pounding up the middle, Carlsen's outside runs were no relief for the Redsides. The speedster racked up 78 yards, including a 55 yard touchdown run.
The Cougars hope to go 3-0 when they host Sunnyside Christian in a homecoming game, this Friday.
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