MONTAGUE — Montague picked up its first win of the season Wednesday against Muskegon, scoring four goals in an eight-minute span late in the first half on the way to an 8-0 victory.
Jonah Henderson led the scoring barrage, putting three of those goals on the board. The Wildcats entered the season without a clear top scorer, but Henderson's outburst made a compelling case for the role.
"There was a lot of good passing from teammates and a lot of good teamwork that set me up for that, but I'm glad I could get in those positions and finish them for the team," Henderson said. "It's certainly a boost of confidence. I'm glad I could put some in the back of the net early, so hopefully it continues the rest of the year."
Isaiah King also scored twice in the game for Montague. Noah Raeth, Steven Aebig and Austin White each got on the board once; Raeth's goal was a nifty header directly off a free kick by White.
"We had that planned before I even kicked it," White smiled.
"Crashing on a free kick like that is what we ask the guys to do, and to actually have it pay off like we talk about was great to see," Montague coach Brandon Mahoney added.
Montague's Isaiah King reacts to a save by Muskegon keeper Jesse Ortiz-Santoyo during Wednesday's game at Montague. King had 2 goals in the Wildcats' 8-0 win.
Getting in the win column was a nice refresher for Montague (1-2) after a tough start at last Saturday's home tournament, but more exciting for the Wildcats was seeing the team continue to play better fundamental soccer as the game progressed. The team only scored once in the first 28 minutes, but showed more patience with the ball later in the half, leading to more goals.
"We probably shouldn't have (taken so long to get going), but once the passes got connected down low, and we stopped trying to shoot from outside the 18(-yard box) and get a couple touches inside the 18, it was obviously much more successful," Mahoney said. "We tell the boys, it's about getting one percent better every day. We've got to build all the way to the end of the season."
Montague opens West Michigan Conference action next week. The Wildcats finished just shy of the championship a year ago, and Raeth said he feels the team has the talent to finish the job this time.
"We've got to keep it up," Raeth said. "We've got to keep working and keep getting better throughout the season."
