Falcon kickers beat Mount Baker in shootout duel

"Emily Bartlett runs the ball into Mount Baker's offensive zone during Sept. 28 NCC homefield win.Matt Johnson / staff photoFalcon soccerS. Whidbey 1, Mount Baker 0 (shootout)Scorers: Dunsmore, Gutzmer, Skouras, A. Barrow, Deanne WatermanIf Mount Baker's girls soccer players had let it happen, they might have been outscored 10-0 by South Whidbey Thursday night.But in the first North Cascades Conference matchup between the two teams this season, the Mountaineers sent every loose ball out of bounds or back to midfield to frustrate what amounted to a 90-minute Falcon offensive attack. It was only when the two teams went to an overtime shootout that the Falcons were able to put the cautious Mountaineers away, outscoring them 5-4 for a 1-0 win.That was the outcome both the Falcon players and coaches had wanted. Goalkeeper Kellie Horn turned away three of the overtime free kicks, leaving the door open for Jamie Dunsmore, Jaci Gutzmer, Shannon Skouras, Amy Barrow, and Deanne Waterman to win the game with five shootout boomers. But next time around, the team's coaches want to take advantage of scoring opportunities before overtime becomes necessary.There were a lot of opportunities for scoring out there, said the team's assistant coach, Mike Cotton.After the game, the Falcons were perched atop the best record in the team's history. They are 5-3 overall and are 1-0 in the NCC.In the earlier junior varsity game, the Falcons were not so lucky against Mount Baker. Sporting a 5-0 record going into the game, the JV Falcons had not met their match yet. They did against Mount Baker, which squeaked by the Falcons 2-1.Coach Cotton said he still believes he has the best JV team in the conference, thanks to players such as Amy Barrow, Danette Waterman, Natalie Schmidt, and Taran Langlois.They've been playing awesome, Cotton said.The Falcons played a home match against Sultan on Oct. 3. "

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