Dynamic duo puts Lakeland in final

MERIDIAN, Idaho – Lakeland coach Mario Maddy said it takes 18 players to win a soccer game.

But on Friday, the Hawks needed offense from only two athletes to beat Wood River 3-0 in the State 4A girls semifinal at the Capital Soccer Complex. Senior forward Kayla Stiegemeier scored three goals, all of which were set up by passes from junior forward Natalie Nichols.

“When we possess the ball on the ground we’re probably one of the best teams down here,” Maddy said of the offensive philosophy that Stiegemeier and Nichols used to help rout the Wolverines.

With their tandem hat trick, Stiegemeier and Nichols showed off a grasp of fundamentals that has propelled Lakeland into today’s championship contest against Century of Pocatello. Game time is 11:15 a.m. (PDT).

“We’re going to play our game,” Maddy said of the Hawks’ strategy against Century. “We’ll go back and look at what they have done and do our game, which is possession.”

Fundamentally sound Lakeland (15-4-1) came out of the blocks with a great ball-control offense. The Hawks held court in the Wood River (15-4-2) end of the field and waited for their opportunities.

If an opportunity were thwarted, Lakeland quickly regrouped and consistently stalked the ball.

Eventually the ball was back in Wood River’s end, and three times the Nichols-to-Stiegemeier connection occurred.

“Wood River is one of the best teams from (Southern Idaho),” Maddy said. “We took possession and made them play our game, and they couldn’t do it.”

The Wolverines were credited with 11 shots on goal, but only a few threatened to puncture the defense thrown down by Lakeland’s backs and goalkeeper Amanda North.

“There was a breakaway in the beginning of the game that Amanda made a key save on,” Maddy said. “If she hadn’t saved that, who knows what would have happened?”

North finished with five saves, including that first crucial stop against streaking Wood River freshman Sam Johnson 10 minutes into the game.

When North was unable to control a hot shot Lakeland’s defense was quick to gobble up the rebound and send it up to the front line.

“This group of kids I’ve got we’ve spent the last three or four years getting them together,” Maddy said of the process of building fundamentals. “We wanted to emulate Sandpoint soccer. It takes the entire 18 players to make a team.”