Blackhawks smash East Valley, come up short against other rivals

East Valley showed off an impressive repertoire of tricks and fancy footwork in the Sept. 6 game against Cheney, but it was no match for the Blackhawks' rock-solid defense, allowing the Blackhawks to triumph 5-0 in their first home game of the season under the lights.

The girls varsity soccer team started strong with a goal early in the fourth minute and didn't let up, beating East Valley for the first time in four years. The team's defense has only allowed 11 shots on goal in the first three games.

The girls showed what they're capable of and sent a message with their win, head coach Nels Radtke said.

"That was a huge game for us," Radtke said. "I told them, you raised the bar for our expectations, and now we need to stay at a high level."

The match against East Valley was the first game the girls soccer team has played under the lights at Tom Oswald Field in Radtke's memory.

Cheney High School athletic director Jeff Chandler approached them about using the football field to play since the team's usual field isn't looking its best following irrigation restrictions due to Cheney's water shortage, Radtke said

The game was a much needed boost after a 1-0 loss to University High School, in which the girls came out flat, rising to the challenge a little too late in the second half.

"The U-High team is very physical, and that challenged us to be more physical, too," Radtke said.

Saturday was a bit of a let-down after Thursday's stellar performance, as the Blackhawks lost to Ferris 1-0. The team came out low energy and wasn't able to perform to their usual standard, Radtke said.

Hopefully the team can ride out the roller coaster despite a few early disappointments, because Radtke thinks the team has the potential to reach the state championship.

Shannen Talbot can be reached at [email protected].