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SWEET RELIEF

WEBSTER CITY – In an instant – the amount of time it took Seth Crouthamel to punch the ball three yards into the back of the net – the tension that has surrounded the Webster City boys’ soccer team for a week evaporated into thin air yesterday evening at Lynx Field.

Nobody said anything, but body language told the story.

Relief. Lots and lots of relief.

After back-to-back losses to ranked teams Gilbert and Clear Lake, and roughly 199 minutes of match time without a goal, Crouthamel’s score late in the first half was just what the 10th-ranked (Class 2A) Lynx needed and they went on to handle Boone, 2-0.

“It was nice to get back on track because we’ve been pretty tight lately,” Crouthamel, who scored both of the Lynx goals to give him nine on the season, said afterwards. “I don’t know if we were nervous or what, but that (first) goal loosened us up.”

The go-ahead goal came on the second of back-to-back corner kicks in the 38th minute. A scrum for possession from close range was finally won by Crouthamel, who quickly punched the ball inside the right post.

The program-wide exhale didn’t just come from the pitch. It came from the sideline and bleachers as well.

“Most definitely,” WCHS head coach Craig Signorin said after his club improved to 10-2 on the season. “It was relief. There’s no other way to describe it and it couldn’t have been an easier goal.”

Taking the lead freed up the Lynx, who dominated possession throughout the second half. They took 19 shots to Boone’s 14 and owned a 10-6 edge in shots on goal in the match.

Constantly pushing forward in the second half, Crouthamel’s second goal was set up by a perfectly-executed run and pass on the part of midfielder Landon Daniels, who weaved his way through traffic and sent a through ball directly to his teammate’s foot. Sprinting down the right side, Crouthamel took the feed and beat Toreadors’ goalkeeper Marcelo Alarcon on the right side. The shot actually ricocheted off the post before going in.

“It was a great pass,” Signorin said. “I’ve tried to instill in (Daniels) that killer instinct because I know he’s got it in him.”

WCHS goalkeeper Ashton High earned his eighth shutout of the season, as he kept the match at nil with four diving stops during the initial 20 minutes of play.

Aided by a 20-plus miles per hour wind, Boone (6-5) put WCHS back on its heels as the bout got underway. The quick reflexes of High turned back two shots in succession in the 16th minute.

High finished with six saves on the night.

“It took us a little bit to get going and we thought, wow, those Boone guys came to play,” Signorin said. “Ashton did his job and a couple of those (saves) were really nice.”

Crouthamel admitted that there hasn’t been much to smile about since the Lynx first loss to Gilbert six days earlier. He hopes last night’s win was just the start of another positive streak.

“It’s been a little bit irritating,” he said. “We just have to play with confidence out there and we’ll be OK.”

WCHS will need to be at its best on Saturday when it takes part in the Waverly-Shell Rock tournament. The Lynx will open up against 11th-ranked (2A) Glenwood.

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