Lady Blackhawks blank Pullman, Clarkston

Cheney High's girls soccer team ran their season-high winning streak to three with wins last week at Pullman and at home over Clarkston.

The Lady Blackhawks dominated the possessions, out shooting the Greyhounds 19-1 in their 3-0 win on Tuesday. Cheney's goals came in a flurry late in the first half, with Makenna Benson's goal coming in the 34th minute and freshman Lauren Hinrichs' two minutes later, both assisted by Emma Scott.

Head coach Nels Radtke said they were focusing on getting the outside midfielders to move forward more and attack, and that emphasis paid off right with Lexi Van Horne's unassisted goal right before halftime.

Goalkeeper Melissa Aris stopped Pullman's only shot on goal.

Radtke said the Lady Blackhawks played better last Thursday against the visiting Bantams than they did in a 3-1 road loss Sept. 12. But Radtke also felt Clarkston played better too.

"It was a battle," Radtke said. "It was a very even game."

Cheney finally broke through the ebb and flow of momentum for either team in the 68th minute. Riley Klauss's free kick from the just outside the 18-yard box and to the left of goal hit the left post and glanced in for the game's only score.

The win was particularly nice for Radtke, who was missing two starters on the defensive line, but got some solid work from those who played in the backfield, including Sydney Eaton, Megan Little and Mackenzie Huotari.

"They showed a lot of maturity," Radtke added.

Cheney goes to 5-3 overall, 3-2 in Great Northern League play. The Lady Blackhawks have a much needed light schedule this week, with only one game taking place: Tuesday's match up at West Valley (1-4, 1-6).

Cheney edged the Eagles 5-4 last Monday, Sept. 25, and Radtke hopes his team will do a better job in preventing them from scoring the second time around in league play.

John McCallum can be reached at [email protected].