Shottenkirk scores four as Hounds roll Keokuk

We wanted to get redemption for our loss. We all went in, including myself, wanting to get a couple of goals”

Jacob Shottenkirk, FM forward

FORT MADISON - Kevin Wellman was glad to just have some time outside with his Fort Madison High School boys soccer team.
The Bloodhounds haven’t been outside all week because of the weather, so Thursday’s 10-0 win over Keokuk at the Baxter Sports Complex was welcome, even if it was a little cold.
“We were inside Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and that gym gets small with 35 guys,” Wellman said. “It’s hard to keep them focused. First day, it’s OK. Second day is OK, too. Third day, they’re getting pretty squirrelly. So it’s nice to get outside.”
Fort Madison (1-1 overall) opened the Southeast Conference season by dominating the Chiefs (0-3). The Bloodhounds, seeking their fourth consecutive conference championship, are now 30-1 in league play during this current run.
“Every time we play a conference team, we play as hard as we can, because the last three years, we’ve won (the title),” said Jacob Shottenkirk, who had four of the Bloodhounds’ goals. “We know this year, there are a couple of teams that are really good, so each conference game, we’re ready.”
Fort Madison bounced back from a season-opening 3-2 loss at Williamsburg last week.
“We wanted to get redemption for our loss,” Shottenkirk said. “We all went in, including myself, wanting to get a couple of goals.”
Wellman said he wasn’t sure how much improvement his team had made from last week’s loss, but he said he’ll get a better idea of that next week, when the Bloodhounds have four matches in six days. The Bloodhounds play at Fairfield on Monday, at Notre Dame on Tuesday, at home against Burlington on Thursday and at home against Davenport North on Saturday.
“At the end of that week, I’ll be able to tell you where I feel like we’re at, for sure,” he said.
Fort Madison was attacking from the beginning of this match. Henry Graham, who had both of the Bloodhounds’ goals in the opening match, started the scoring with a goal five minutes into the first half. Leif Boeding then scored on a penalty kick nine minutes later for a 2-0 margin.
Mario Gomez Gutierrez had back-to-back goals for a 4-0 lead, then Shottenkirk closed the half with three goals over the last 6:18.
Goals by Graham and Shottenkirk in the first 7:13 of the second half put Fort Madison up, 9-0. Wellman put in most of his reserves the rest of the match, and Jamarkus Cline ended the match with a goal with 18:22 to play.
“Tonight, (the offense) got spread around,” Wellman said. “We moved the ball pretty well. Keokuk did a good job of clogging up the middle. About 15, 20 minutes into the first half, I was telling the guys we needed to get the ball wide because they had clogged up the middle and it was hard to penetrate. We started doing that, got a bunch of holes, and those holes were for different players who got shots and goals.”