Pocatello High School sophomore Madysen Torngren was an anchor in net all year for the Thunder, averaging 14 saves per game. | Kalama Hines, EastIdahoSports.com POCATELLO — The Pocatello Thunder didn’t finish their season as they expected: hoisting a trophy for the fourth consecutive year. But the shorthanded Thunder, with several players in street clothes during the state tournament, battled the No. 1 seed Hillcrest Knights for a third-place trophy, eventually falling 3-1. Before they got to that point, though, they had to beat a Twin Falls team that had not lost all year — and had beaten Pocatello twice. Poky claimed a 2-0 shutout victory over the Bruins in the tournament’s opening round, behind one of what was many dominant efforts from sophomore goalie Madysen Torngren. The towering sophomore keeper turned away 21 shots in the opening-round victory and earned high praise from head coach Mark Wetstein, who called Torngren’s performance “incredible.” But it wasn’t just that sunny day in Middleton when the keeper stood tall for her team. Torngren finished the season with 293 saves. Tops among all goalies in the state — ahead of Madison’s Saurey Hawkins, who was second among all girls with 271, and Kuna’s Weston Seamons, who led the boys with 214. Madysen Torngren makes one of her 21 saves against Twin Falls, a diving effort in the first half of the eventual 2-0 upset victory. | Kalama Hines, EastIdahoSports.com Torngren has been playing soccer for as long as she can remember, but she didn’t make the move to goalkeeper until she was in sixth grade, when her team needed a goalie and gave everyone a chance. That was when she made the move from defender to keeper, and her mom, at least at first, did not love the move. “She grew to accept, she just told me, ‘You have to be willing to get your teeth kicked in,’” Torngren recalled with a laugh. She has since grown to be 6-foot-1 and able to cover the 8-foot-by-24-foot goal quite well. Still, Torngren thinks it would be nice to be the one who takes a shot at the opposing keeper. “Every once in a while, it seems fun to go out and try to score. But I like where I’m at,” she said. “But I like having the challenge. Having resilience to stay calm in the moment. It always feels amazing when you have fast reflexes, everything you’ve worked for, and you make a great save. … It’s always exhilarating when you make a save at the end of the game, or you block a for-sure goal.” Madysen Torngren conducts her team while looking into the sun during Pocatello’s victory over Twin Falls. | Kalama Hines, EastIdahoSports.com Before departing for state, Torngren spoke with EastIdahoSports.com about her team’s chances without scoring leader Aryanna Gonzalez, who led the team in goals (18) and despite missing the final few weeks of the season still nearly doubled all of her teammates in shots, with 113 — Brynlee Pool was second on the team with 60. She said that the team was hit pretty hard, seeing Gonzalez leave then finding out she would not return this year. When the team was forced to bond and become more “connected,” Torngren added, it did so seamlessly. The onus of success fell to Pocatello’s defense, and whether it could prevent an extra goal or two per game. And while she knew she was up to the task, Torngren said that she was not alone. The backline of defenders, she said, were key all season, and continued to be down the stretch. In fact, Wetstein said after the Twin Falls game that a shot block late in the first half from Hannah Armstrong was the turning point of the game. “I know my team can score,” Torngren said before the tournament. “But in the worst case scenario, if that doesn’t happen, I know that we can hold them down, and I believe in myself enough to stop PKs.” She described the feeling of facing a penalty kick — which she did once this year, a miss against Highland — pointing out similarities to in-game breakaway opportunities. “It’s really stressful. I have to tell myself, ‘It’s OK just get set — you need to stay balanced,’” she said. adding that being balanced is the key to success in goal. “Don’t go to early,” she added. Instead, wait for the shooter’s plant foot to determine which way they are going the let your hours of training take over and allow your body to react. Torngren did a great job of allowing her reflexes to take over all season and promises to be a force going forward, with two more years of high school soccer to come. She said that she would love to play in college, but has not given much thought to a potential playing career beyond that.The post Pocatello’s Torngren finishes season as state leader in saves appeared first on East Idaho News.
Source: eastidahonews.com