Rise of the young guns

POLSON - The young guns continue to roll for the Polson Lady Pirates.

Freshman Sarah Howell knocked in two goals during Polson's 3-0 victory over Bigfork last Thursday at home, to double the number of conference victories that the Lady Pirates had last season.

Howell scored in the 21st minute of the game thanks to an assist from Brynn Rowley. She scored again in the second half in the 42nd minute, getting an assist from Linnea Madsen. It was Madsen's first varsity assist, and could be a preview of things to come for many years with the passing chemistry she seems to have with Howell.

"They are coming together as a team," Polson head coach Michael Hewston said of his squad. "They played well against Bigfork. We possessed the ball in that game while maintaining our passes."

The Lady Pirates were dictating where the ball went for most of the game and they also outshot Bigfork 23-5, while shooting six corner kicks to the Lady Vikings' one.

While Polson got plenty of offense from their younger players, they also got a very impressive goal from one of their cornerstone players.

Senior Jaime Young got her first varsity goal of her career in the 73rd minute of the game. An incredibly skilled defender during her high school career, Young was able to showcase her offensive skills last Thursday.

Young got the ball from a pass by Madeline Hewston and was able to knock it in the near post for the score. It appeared to really put the locks down on a Polson victory that makes the postseason that much closer.

Last Saturday, the Lady Pirates hit the road and Columbia Falls stayed undefeated with a 7-0 victory over Polson. However, much like they've shown all season, the Lady Pirates didn't back down.

"We were still pressing the ball in the last five to ten minutes of the game," Hewston said. "They still went in there and hung with them."

While Polson came into the season with a young team, Hewston said that the main focus this year was to make sure his girls competed game in and game out.

"And they are competing," Hewston said. "You're not seeing the shoulders drop after the other team scores."

Through eight games this season, the Lady Pirates are 3-5 and have already matched their win total from the past two years. They're also .500 in conference play at 2-2 and if they continue to improve, will be taking a look at the playoffs.

"I think we have a lot that we can build on," Hewston said. "There's so much raw talent there and they're so coachable. It's a very positive feeling."