Boys soccer team is heading to the state

The Wolverines played three soccer games last week, two in district competition and then traveled to Twin Falls for a chance to participate in the state competition.
 “What a competitive week. Congratulations boys’ soccer!” said Coach Kathy Bokides.
 Tuesday, October 13, was the first district game with Weiser hosting the Fruitland Grizzlies. Weiser had a strong first half, keeping the ball on the Fruitland side of the field with quite a few attempts at goals. The offensive plays were good, but the shots were a little off, so nothing went into the net.
 Fruitland had an unfortunate injury near the Weiser goal when one of their players jumped over a Weiser player and broke his ankle. He was taken off the field.
 Goalie Gabe Rasmussen had a couple blocks that kept the Grizzlies from scoring after that, so the first half ended with no score for either team.
 The second half of the game started in a steady rain. Even with a slippery field and soccer ball to contend with, the Wolverines jumped back in the game with some great offensive attempts by multiple team members but again, nothing would go in the net.
 The Grizzlies had two attempts, including a breakaway shot but Rasmussen blocked both shots. With only 18 minutes left in the game, Weiser forward Cris Cornejo finally got the ball to connect with the back of the net for the first score of the game. Cornejo scored a second point for the Wolverines with a nice grounder to the side of the Fruitland goalkeeper with six minutes remaining in the game. Weiser won the game and the chance to play the Vandals for the championship in McCall on Thursday.
Championship game against McCall
 The championship game did not go as well for the Wolverines. Although Weiser started out strong as a team, McCall scored about ten minutes into the game.
 The next 20 minutes were competitive, but Weiser goal attempts by Cornejo and Chris Gonzalez were unsuccessful. Weiser had a foul in the Wolverine box which resulted in a penalty kick for McCall, but Rasmussen knocked the ball out of the net for no score.
 With only a few minutes left in the half, Weiser’s Jordan Watkins was injured and taken off the field. The Vandals using that to their advantage and quickly scored a second goal.
 The second half started with another Vandal goal, but Wolverine Marcos Tarelo was able to make a goal for the Weiser team. Ending score was 3-1, with McCall taking the win.
 Fortunately for the Wolverines, the district had another shot at getting to the state competition.
 “Weiser had a tough loss against Mc-Call on Thursday, also losing senior Jordan Watkins to an injury,” said Coach Bokides. For the state play-in game against Buhl, the team had to make defensive adjustments without Jordan, but finally came up with the winning combination.”
State play-in game against Buhl
 Only ten minutes into the play-in game, Edgar Ayala headed in the only goal, assisted by Marcos Tarelo. Weiser’s Daniel Clemmer made a great attempt, but the ball bounced off the bar. Buhl had multiple attempts at the net, but none were successful.
 The Magic Valley wind was definitely a factor in this game, with wind gusts throwing the ball off course and even into a nearby field through the entire game. First half of the match ended with Weiser ahead 1-0.
 Weiser’s Gonzalez had a chance for a score when Buhl fouled and gave the Wolverines a penalty kick. His aim was right on, but the goalkeeper blocked the ball. Several minutes later, a Buhl player was injured and taken off the field.
 The Buhl team kicked a nice corner kick right to the goal, but Rasmussen blocked it in midair. Cornejo had a smooth shot to the net, but again it bounced off the side bar for no score. With less than ten minutes left in the game, Weiser had another potential injury when defender Tristan Coria collided with another player. He got up shaken, but uninjured.
 With no other goals, the game ended in a Weiser victory 1-0 and earned the Wolverines a chance to compete at state.
 Weiser’s ability to come back strong as a team after a tough loss with new players and necessary defensive adjustments show the depth of this soccer team. This soccer season, like this entire year, has been one of adjustments, disappointments, and challenges, but these boys were up to the challenge. Their hard work for the last few months, along with their ability to step up and make changes asked of them by their coaches, have paid off.
 Weiser will meet Sugar Salem in the first round of state games Thursday, October 22 in Post Falls.

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Signal American

18 E. Idaho St.
Weiser, ID 83672
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