Boys Soccer: Pirates Post 3 Shutouts; Improve To 3-2

By Kevin Yoder  

The best path to winning soccer is to not allow your opponents to score. The Hudson  boys soccer team taught a defensive master class this past week, posting scores of 9-0, 9-0,  and 5-0 in three straight victories.  

The 1A Pirates had their first road game last Tuesday at Waterloo’s Memorial Stadium  as they took on 3A Waterloo East. Despite the game time 22 degree feel, the Pirates came out  hot. 

They put pressure on the Trojan defense from the opening kick and controlled  possessions. That aggressiveness resulted in 4 first half goals, highlighted by freshman Carter  Weide’s unassisted corner kick that snuck past the near post for the score. 

The second half was more of the same, as Hudson continued to fire shots through the  East back line. Another 5 goals in the period officially put the game on ice. The 9-0 final saw  junior Austin Kliegl finish with a hat trick, while Weide and senior Anderson Yoder each  connected on a pair of goals. Sophomores Rylan Fogt and Knox Carter each found the back of  the net to round out the scoring. 

Defensively Hudson was just as impressive. Sophomore Jax Petersen got his first start  at keeper, but had little action as the starting Pirate back line of senior Jacob Culham, junior  Cohen Warnell, sophomore Rylan Fogt and freshman Colton Kliegl didn’t allow a single shot on  goal. 

Saturday the boys returned home for the annual Hudson Classic. Another cold and  windy day greeted each team, with Hudson kicking off against another 3A opponent,  the Independence Mustangs, in the 9 am curtain-raiser. 

The Pirates were again on the attack from the jump, and the Mustangs had few  answers. For the second straight game, Carter Weide aced an in-swinger corner kick to break  the seal, on the way to another 4 first half team goals. Five more in the second half propelled  the Pirates to a second consecutive 9-0 win. 

Hudson continued to spread the scoring wealth. Austin Kliegl and Rylan Fogt each  scored twice, as did Rylan’s brother Mason Fogt, with his first two of the young season.  Another pair of brothers, Anderson and McCoy Yoder, along with Weide each scored once to  set the final tally.  

The afternoon game of the doubleheader welcomed a new team to the Classic, as the  Columbus Community Wildcats made the two hour trip north from Columbus Junction. Hudson picked right up where they left off earlier in the day, and posted three first half  goals to take a 3-0 lead to the locker room. With a stiff wind at their back throughout the  second half, Hudson cruised to two more goals and a 5-0 victory. 

A similar refrain played out once again in this one, as single goals from Yoder, Yoder,  Weide, Kliegl and Carter set the final margin.  

The Pirates are now a game above .500 with Waterloo Columbus and Waverly-Shell  Rock coming to town this week. Playing a lot of freshmen and sophomores has been a work in  progress, but head coach Conner Wrage likes where his team is at. 

“Starting 0–2 was a challenge, but going 3–0 since then really shows how this team has  come together,” he reflected. “The belief in each other is growing every day, and we’ve shown  a lot of progress getting back to our style of soccer. The players have put in the work during  training, and it’s translating onto the field. We’re focused on taking it one game at a time, with  both our young players and veteran leaders stepping up in big ways. The standard is high and  our goal remains the same—a third straight trip to the state tournament.”  

The Pirates were scheduled to host Columbus Catholic on Tuesday, with the Waverly Shell Rock game set for Friday night at 5 pm at the Hudson Athletic Complex.