It’s obvious early in the season that this year’s Polk County soccer team can run and score.
Wednesday night made it evident that they’ve got a little bit of a killer instinct, too.
Polk County blasted a shorthanded R-S Central squad 9-0, winning by mercy rule.
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“They (R-S Central) started pretty well, I thought,” Polk County coach George Alley said. “But once we put our foot on the gas, that was it.”
The Wolverines put the game away early and piled it on. Polk County completely dictated play in the first half from the opening kick. They had multiple chances in the first 10 minutes of the match, sending shots long and wide. Cooper Meyer had a great look at 29:45, but was turned away by the Hilltoppers keeper. He had another shot turned away just minutes later, but this time Mason Hudson was there to clean up the rebound and give Polk County a 1-0 lead.
And the rout was on.
Tanner Osborn knocked in his own deflection at the 22 minute mark. Thomas Varnadore found Brennan Oates with a perfect pass for a 3-0 lead at 6:10. Just two minutes later, Osborn sent his second goal of the night skidding into the lower left corner. And with 10 seconds left in the half, the Hilltoppers were called for a handball in the box, and Wolverines keeper Charlie Wagoner came on to convert the penalty kick.
All that added up to a 5-0 Polk County halftime lead, and a long night for R-S Central.
“They’re missing four starters,” Alley said. “They’re really trying to get in there and change the culture, and I think when they get their starters back, they’ll have a little something.”
Polk County continued to press the issue early in the second half. Meyer struck to make it 6-0 just seconds into the half. Three minutes later, he took a pass from Brinson Ashworth, then fired it to Oates who sent it home for his second goal and a 7-0 lead. Luke Garrison scored on a long runout with 20 minutes to play, and Varnadore ended the match with 3:15 to play, scoring the Wolverines’ ninth and final goal to trigger the mercy rule.
“In a game like this it’s about getting them to continue to share the ball,” Alley said. “Everybody wants a piece of the glory. And I thought they did a good job of that. We moved a lot of guys around, everybody got a lot of playing time, and it’s nice to be able to do that every once in a while.”
