Menke leads Lady Hounds in shutout win

Understated

“I didn’t feel, personally, like it was one of my better games. But it’s OK. We won, and that’s all that matters.””

Halle Menke, FMHS forward

FORT MADISON - Halle Menke can be a tough critic of herself.
A shot that misses its target, or a pass that didn’t go quite where she wanted, earns herself a quick scolding before moving on.
“It’s just getting mad at myself sometimes,” the Fort Madison junior said, smiling.
Menke had two goals and an assist in Thursday’s 5-0 win over Keokuk at the Baxter Sports Complex, but she thought she had left some other opportunities out on the field.
“I didn’t feel, personally, like it was one of my better games,” she said. “But it’s OK. We won, and that’s all that matters.”
Menke, one of the three Bloodhound captains this season, is second on the team with five goals and is tied for the team lead with three assists.
“I feel like this season I’m trying to play more settled down and not get so frustrated,” Menke said. ““I’m just trying to connect passes and hit my spots with my shots.” 
Menke certainly did that on her two goals, bombing in a free kick from the left side that put the Bloodhounds up 3-0, and then charging through the Chiefs’ defense to hit another long shot with 14:08 to play that gave Fort Madison a 4-0 lead.
“She has been scoring goals and getting in good positions,” coach Carrie Burken said. “. I don't know what it is, but it is really nice to have another player that's producing offensively.”
The Bloodhounds (2-0-1 overall, 1-0 Southeast Conference) were relentless against the Chiefs (0-3, 0-1), barely letting them get the ball out of their own end. Ellie Hellman, in her first season as the Fort Madison goalkeeper, had just one save in the match.
Fort Madison had 15 shots, including 10 shots on goal.
“I was somewhat happy with our passing, and I actually thought we could do better, but it’s just difficult when the ball is wet and the field is wet,” Burken said. “I like that we’re possession-oriented, and we’re looking to do that. Our goal is to connect on passes, and we’re doing that at times, but it still needs some work. The fact that we’re trying to do it is a good sign.”
Teagan Snaadt scored two goals in the first 15 ½ minutes before lightning forced a 30-minute delay. The Bloodhounds wouldn’t score again until Menke’s first goal with 5:22 left in the first half.
Chloe Butler’s goal with 8:59 to play closed the scoring for the Bloodhounds.
Hadley Wolfe added three assists for Fort Madison, which plays host to Notre Dame-West Burlington on Friday.
It’s a big early stretch for the Bloodhounds, who play at Fairfield on Monday in their first conference road match.
“This was important because it was a conference game, and we’ve got another coming up,” Burken said. “You try to save legs a little bit, but it’s still early in the season, so I think we can handle this.”