Port, Grafton soccer start seasons undefeated

It’s a little cold outside, but the Port Washington High School girls’ soccer team is off to a hot start.

The Pirates on Monday beat Kettle Moraine Lutheran, 4-0, on the road for their second straight victory.

Port held a 3-0 lead by halftime. Madison Zwicker scored on an assist by Claire Holtebeck in the 13th minute, and Maddie Wehner scored four minutes later from a corner kick. Tess Schueller netted an unassisted goal in the 45th minute, coach Eric Liebergen said.

In the second half, Kelly Fischer scored in the 50th minute on an assist by Hannah Noegel

Goalkeeper Kaytlin Kassens posted the Pirates’ second straight shutout.

Last Friday, the Pirates beat Racine Horlick, 3-0, at Uihlein Park using a balanced attack.

Holtebeck got the party started in the 14th minute with a goal on an assist by Schueller.

Zwicker scored in the 38th minute on a Holtebeck assist.

Camdyn Melin found the back of the net in the 61st minute on an assist by Fischer.

Junior midfielder Regan Melin spent the night as goalkeeper since Kassens wasn’t available. Melin made five saves to preserve the shutout.

“The defensive efforts of Maddie Wehner, Lilly Clark, Ella Schmit, Bethany McKinney, Ella Mueller and Camdyn Melin aided Regan in keeping the shutout,” Liebergen said.

“It’s a great way to start the season, and we intend to build on the success and learn from a lot from our first game.”

The Pirates were scheduled to play at Beaver Dam on Tuesday and at Kohler on Friday. Both are non-conference games. They open North Shore Conference play at 7 p.m. Monday, April 8, at home against Homestead.

Grafton starts the season with two wins

The first half of Grafton’s opener on March 26 at Waukesha South was a little slow, with star Hailey Block scoring the game’s only goal.

In the second half, the Black Hawks blew up.

Six scores led to an easy, 7-1, non-conference victory.

Block added three more goals, Malaya Sperber had two and Halena Gehrke scored one.

Mackenzie Schultz and Brianna Rapp each had two assists, while Abbie Schad had one.

“You could tell it was the first game. We created a lot of opportunities. Things just weren’t very sharp. In the second half things started coming together,” coach Don Arnold said.

Last Thursday, the Black Hawks got an early goal on a long shot by Marie Weinhold and another by Rapp in a 2-1 win over Brookfield East at Uihlein Soccer Park in Milwaukee.

Weinhold, Arnold said, intercepted a goalkeeper’s punt and, with the keeper out of position, put in a shot from more than 30 yards away in the eighth minute.

In the 32nd minute, Rapp took a touch on a nice pass from Ava Pederson and buried the ball in the back post from about 18 yards out.

The Spartans scored in the 42nd minute, and neither team found the net after that.

“For most of the game we played good soccer. We were able to hold onto the ball and build things up as we needed to,” Arnold said.

In the second half, the Spartans made a run, but the Hawks withstood it.

“You get challenged and tested and get in tough games. When it goes right down to the wire, it makes you stronger,” Arnold said.

With attention paid to Block and Sperber, Arnold praised the play of Isabella Rapp, “who had a phenomenal game at outside midfield. She was very dangerous.”

The Hawks were scheduled to open NSC play at West Bend East on Tuesday. They play in a Carroll University tournament on Saturday and are at West Bend West on Tuesday, April 9.

Correction: Sophomore Cora Danielson was omitted in the list of returning varsity players in last week’s article.