Pirates get rolling with first win

POLSON — A stunning display of hard work and finesse produced a 2-0 victory for Polson's varsity girls soccer team Thursday against Stevensville. The girls brought a lot of tenacity but no mercy to their home field, playing relentless defense, earning a shutout, and putting the defeat they suffered at Libby behind them.

The team struck early when an out-muscled Stevensville team had to resort to rough play. A "pushing the back" call against Stevensville resulted in a penalty kick for Abbi Ruhman, a powerful midfielder with perhaps the biggest boot on the team.

As the crowd quieted, Abbi met eye to eye with Yellow Jackets goaltender Anna Tom. A few steps and one hollow "thud" later Tom was reaching for the stars as the ball floated overhead. The Pirates were up 2-1.

It was a battle of "jukes" from that point on, with midfielder sophomore Jordan Hinshaw flying up the field to work the ball in and out of the tall but bewildered Stevensville defenders with key striker sophomore Sarah Devlin. If it wasn't one of the two girls embarrassing the Yellow Jackets it was the other, each a step faster and more shifty then their opponents.

Late in the game however, things began to get a little tougher. While Devlin was wreaking havoc on her end, Stevensville's own crafty Sherry Walters was making the occasional push on Polson's goal. A collision with Hinshaw put her on the grass for a moment but fortunately she recovered to finish the game.

As chants of "Quickly! Quickly!" came from Stevensville players on the sidelines, it was instead Sarah Devlin who answered the call late in the game. Coming down on a one-on-two, Devlin backed into her opponents, juked right, spun and fired it hard and low past Tom.

Turning upfield and with her hands held high, Devlin's expression was one of earned triumph. She had guided the ball downfield too many times to leave without a goal and a win secured.

After the game, coach Randy Hart addressed the team. "Nice effort today," he said, "today a two-to-nothing score could have been four or five to nothing. You left it all on the field!"

They had left it all on the field but an exhausted Abbi Ruhman was able to comment after the game, "sometimes we are a little scattered. And today we really put it together especially with our passing."

This year's Polson team is composed of some very successful athletes including senior midfielder Sarah Howell who was three-time all conference and two-times all state, as well as several members of the winning spring soccer team, Tsunami.

The Pirates go to Livingston on Friday and to Belgrade on Saturday.