Bouncing Back: Polson boys tested during tough week
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The Pirate boys soccer team traveled to Libby on Thursday, Sept. 15, where they downed the Loggers 6-3 in a Class A showdown. The Loggers came out striking, putting up a 1-0 lead after 14 minutes of play in the opening half.
The Pirates didn’t get discouraged with the early deficit, but rallied to tie the game after Steven Walk split two Libby defenders, and then forwarded the ball to Riley Lemm, who got one quick touch on the ball before Libby’s keeper could get his hands on it. Lemm’s score was followed by a late first-half score by James Larson at the 39 minute mark to lead, 2-1.
Libby tied the Pirates three minutes into the second half, when Talus Martin out-maneuvered Pirate keeper Clay Frissell, to score. The Pirates kept matching the Loggers scores, keeping the game close early in the second half.
“Each time Libby scored, we would score within the next four minutes,” Polson head coach Jess Kittle said.
The Loggers wouldn’t go away, as Patrick Valentine tied the game up at 3-3 at the 53 minute mark. That score would be the last of the night for the Loggers though, as the Pirates exploded offensively from then on, scoring three-straight goals to close out the game.
Earlier in the week, the Polson Pirates hosted Whitefish in a Class A conference battle of two powerhouse soccer teams. Polson struck first when Riley Lemm assisted James Larson for a goal at the 24 minute mark.
The Bulldogs took over the game during the final minutes of the first half as Curran Edland knocked in a point at the 38 minute mark, followed by a penalty kick in the final seconds of the first half to lead 2-1.
During the second half the Pirates struggled to put their shots in the goal, going scoreless for the remainder of the game. The Bulldogs also struggled offensively, but their penalty kick proved to be enough, as they downed the Pirates.
“We were able to make good passes through the midfield,” head coach Jess Kittle said. “But we struggled to put our shots in the goal.”
With the loss, the Pirates fell to 1-1-1, while the Bulldogs improved to 5-2-0.
The Pirates continued play on Saturday, hosting Belgrade in a Class A conference match-up, where a late penalty kick forced a tie. The Pirates were the first to strike during the first half, after Riley Lemm knocked in a point at the 36-minute mark. Lemm’s goal came after taking a long through-ball from Nick Howell, but his shot bounced off Belgrade’s keeper, allowing Lemm to rebound the ball and knock it in for the point.
Belgrade tied the Pirates in the second half at the 55-minute mark due to a penalty kick.
The Polson boys take on Bigfork at home on Thursday in the team’s third conference game this season.
