Hound boys blow past Notre Dame

FORT MADISON - Fort Madison’s offense had plenty of scoring opportunities in Monday’s 5-1 win over Notre Dame-West Burlington at the Baxter Sports Complex.
It just took the Bloodhounds until the second half to finish those chances.
Fort Madison (2-0) erupted for four goals in the second half, using a wind advantage to become more comfortable on offense.
The Bloodhounds opened the season last week with a 2-1 win over Williamsburg, playing two overtimes before needing penalty kicks to secure the victory.
This, coach Kevin Wellman thought, was a better overall effort.
“We played a similar game to last week,” Wellman said. “But the finishing was better. I thought in the middle third of the field, we were about the same. We were a little better in the attacking third of the field this game. A lot of one-touch passes that set up some goals.”
Xander Wellman scored three goals, while Leif Boeding had two.
“We do have a couple of guys who are goal scorers,” Kevin Wellman said. “But, and I know this is a cliche, this was a team effort. We have really strong, consistent players at every position. As a soccer coach, I thought it looked good everywhere. We have to build on that.”
The Nikes (0-2) won the coin toss and chose the defend the north goal in the first half.
“At that point, there was a cross wind, and I didn’t think it helped either team,” Wellman said. “The second half, the wind shifted and it was at our back.”
It took until the 34th minute for the Bloodhounds to score, when Xander Wellman’s shot hit the left post and caromed into the goal.
Fort Madison then was consistently attacking in the second half. Wellman scored with 32:56 to play for a 2-0 lead, then Boeding scored off a header seven minutes later. Wellman delivered his third goal with 18:27 play, then Boeding added his second goal off a breakaway with 13:17 to go.
“I’ve always said it’s easier to score with the wind in your face, because when you send the ball through, it comes back to the forward’s feet,” Kevin Wellman said. “If you have the wind at your back, the ball sometimes gets away from you. But it’s also a heck of a lot easier to defend, so you can relax a little bit. And I think that’s when we started having some better combinations at midfield, because we were relaxed, not worried about things as much.”
The Nikes got their lone goal with 4:39 to play, when Alexander AbouAssaly scored on a penalty kick.
Conner Gehling and Oliver Santiago shared keeping duties. Santiago had two saves and Gehling had one.
The junior varsity downed the Nikes 2-1.
The Bloodhounds open defense of their Southeast Conference title with Thursday’s home match against Fairfield.