ONALASKA — Throughout the first month of the season, it’s been common for Onalaska to come out of the gates strong.
That was no different on Wednesday, when the Loggers built an early lead and rolled to a blowout 7-0 victory over Toutle Lake in their C2BL opener.
“We were looking to work the ball back and forth quite a bit,” Onalaska coach Christopher Van Clifford said. “And we had time to do it.”
Onalaska broke through in the sixth minute of the game, when Peyton Iverson scored off an assist from Sam Rushton, and Iverson notched an assist of her own when Emilee Rodriguez scored in the ninth minute.
The 2-0 scoreline held until the 20th minute, when the Loggers began adding on at will.
Oleana Rimmereid scored in the 20th minute, and Rodriguez added her second of the game just a minute later. In the 25th minute, Rodriguez secured the hat trick, and she added her fourth of the game just one minute after her third to make it 6-0.
“I was just watching the gaps and following the passes,” Rodriguez said, while crediting her teammates. “I was just running as fast as I could.”
Rodriguez, a freshman forward, has made her impact known throughout the first month of the year, as Van Clifford mentioned that she has also tallied several assists through Onalaska’s first eight games.
“She’s been a fantastic forward for us,” Van Clifford said. “She’s done a great job coming in as a freshman with her movement, her off the ball play, and then making the drops and all that. It’s been fantastic.”
During that six-minute stretch, Leighton Underhill and Piper Iverson both picked up a pair of assists.
Now up six just 26 minutes in, the Loggers slowed things down offensively, something that Van Clifford said allowed them to work on their combination play.
“A lot of it is just being a little more patient and finding that,” Van Clifford said. “Just going forward works once in a while, but against a lot of teams, it doesn’t work. So working the combination play makes it so that when you do go forward, it gets a little more effective.”
While the chances didn’t come as frequently in the second half, Piper Iverson was able to convert off a pass from Peyton Iverson to put the Loggers at seven in the 65th minute.
Onalaska had more chances in the final 15 minutes to score an eighth, which would have ended the game because of the WIAA’s mercy rule (eight or more after 60 minutes). The Loggers weren’t able to score again despite a few close calls, and the referee blew the final whistle after 80 minutes.
The win puts Onalaska at 5-3 overall and at 1-0 in the early stages of C2BL play. The Loggers will have a week off before their next game, a matchup in Adna on Wednesday, Oct. 7.
“We’re just looking forward to roll through the season and get to districts,” Van Clifford said.
