Lady Pirates surge past Frenchtown, blank Corvallis in back-to-back victories

The Polson girls' soccer team is finding its stride at the right time, posting back-to-back victories last week over Frenchtown and Corvallis to move above .500 in conference play. Behind a balanced attack and steady defense, the Lady Pirates improved to 3-2 in the conference, 3-4 overall. 

On Tuesday, Polson traveled to Frenchtown and came away with a 3-1 win. Senior forward Amelia Stene put the Pirates on the board early, scoring in the fifth minute off a feed from Emily Simonich. Frenchtown answered midway through the half when Carmella Madonna found the net in the 26th minute, and the two teams entered halftime tied 1-1. 

The second half belonged to Polson. In the 55th minute, Kellyn Nelson converted a setup from Viviane Armstrong to reclaim the lead, and Stene struck again in the 77th minute with her second goal of the match. Goalkeeper Olivia Ramirez kept the Broncs at bay with 11 saves as Polson’s defense weathered 14 Frenchtown shots. 

The Lady Pirates carried that momentum into Thursday’s home match against Corvallis, where they dominated possession and peppered the Blue Devils with 32 shots — 17 on goal — en route to a convincing 4-0 shutout. 

Stene once again sparked the scoring, finishing a pass from Nelson in just the seventh minute. Nelson added a goal of her own before halftime on an assist from Simonich to send Polson into the breakup 2-0. The Pirates kept the pressure on after intermission, with Armstrong scoring off a feed from Madi York in the 45th minute, and Simonich capping the night in the 64th minute on a pass from Armstrong. 

Corvallis goalkeeper Kailee Martin made six saves, but Polson’s relentless attack proved too much. Ramirez stopped all four Blue Devil shots she faced to earn the clean sheet. 

The Lady Pirates’ offense has begun clicking, with Stene and Nelson forming a dynamic scoring duo supported by playmakers Simonich and Armstrong. Over their last two matches, Polson has outscored its opponents 7-1 and outshot them 49-23.    Lady Pirate Madison York drives the ball past Anya Hammill at the Pirate Sports Complex on Sept. 18. (Emily Messer/Leader)