Clark Fork U12 soccer team goes 1-1

The Clark Fork Valley Soccer Alliance U12 team had one win and one loss Saturday at the Amundson Sports Complex at Plains. The U11 Flathead Soccer Club defeated the Plains team 5-1 on Saturday morning, but Clark Fork Valley Soccer Alliance bounced back Saturday afternoon and whipped the Thompson Falls U12/U11 team 9-1.

The Blue Hawks were also defeated earlier in the day by the Flathead Soccer Club. Blue Hawk Assistant Coach Zac Jensen said the score "was something like 0 to ouch!" The Blue Hawks have nine boys and three girls on the team. Head Coach Carole Jensen, Zac's mother, said they have a lot of new players this year. Jensen has coached soccer for the last six years in Thompson Falls and in Washington for some 15 years. Blue Hawk Noah Scharfe scored the only goal against Plains.

Jensen said they didn't have enough players to have all U12 players, which is why a portion of the team is U11. "All I ask of my kids is to give 110% and they busted their butts today," said Carole Jensen. Thirteen-year-old Harlen Best is also an assistant coach. The Blue Hawks' next game is Saturday against Plains at 10:30 a.m. and against the Kootenai Rapids at 1 p.m.

"I think they did a good job. They could use a little more conditioning, but overall they did good," said Alex Borgmann, assistant coach for the Plains team. "They did really well this afternoon," said Borgmann. Clint Weedeman of Plains collected four goals in game two while his sister, Elisabeth, put one past the Blue Hawk keeper. Teammate Titus Meyers picked up two goals, as did Jayce Wickum. Wickum and Brenden Allen served as keepers for both games.

This was the first game of the season for the Plains, Thompson Falls, and Kalispell teams. Head Coach Joel Myers felt his team - nine boys and three girls - played hard and did a good job on the field.

The Flathead Soccer Club, all boys, scored first against Plains in the morning game when they slipped one past keeper Wickum about 10 minutes into the first half, followed by a second one five minutes later, although Wickum had several saves. Early in the second half, Clint Weedeman sent a long one into the net to put Plains on the board.

A Plains player was hurt in the second half against Flathead, but because they had no substitutes, Flathead also pulled one of its team members. Then Flathead chalked up three more points in the second half to end the game.