Switch vitalizes Timberwolves

Lake City boys soccer coach Chad Beadell is finally seeing the reward of switching offensive formations in midstream.

Beadell wanted to put the Timberwolves in a position to have more offensive options. He made the switch halfway through the season, and the T-Wolves enjoyed plenty of opportunities Thursday.

Behind forward Jimmy Williamson, Lake City handled visiting Coeur d’Alene 3-1 in an Inland Empire League match.

“It’s a modified 4-4-2 (and) the guys have got the formation down in the last two weeks,” Beadell said. “We’ve really gotten comfortable with it. I just didn’t think we were getting enough production.”

The victory inched LC (8-3-2 overall, 7-1-1 league) ever so slightly ahead of Sandpoint in first place and sets up a showdown for the league championship Tuesday when the teams meet at War Memorial Field.

LC scored in the 16th minute when midfielder Montana Patton knocked in a pass from Williamson. Although the T-Wolves had no difficulty possessing the ball the final 24 minutes of the first half, they didn’t finish.

The T-Wolves put the match out of reach in the first 13 minutes of the second half, though. Williamson side stepped CdA goalie Jimmy Keith for an open-net goal at 44:50. He followed 8 minutes later when he drilled a shot from 25 yards out.

“We stopped getting into the physicality of the game and played more tactical soccer in the second half,” Williamson said. “Our team likes to get sucked into physicality a lot, but if we work on just playing tactical soccer like we did, we’re head and shoulders above every team we play.”

LC outshot CdA (6-7-0, 4-5-0) 14-3. Two of the Vikings’ shots came early in the match. Their final attempt came when forward Robby Astin converted a penalty kick in the 79th minute.

What especially pleased Williamson was the play of LC’s midfielders.

“I think they played the best I’ve seen them play all season,” Williamson said.

If CdA coach Eric Louis had any fault with his young team, it was the lack of shots.

“We didn’t create much. We went most of the match without a shot,” Louis said.

Girls soccer

For the second time this season, the crosstown rivals played to a 0-0 tie.

For the second time, Coeur d’Alene (8-4-3, 5-0-3) had more than double the shots of Lake City (5-3-6, 3-1-5). The Vikings outshot the visiting Timberwolves 12-3.

“This is not a happy moment,” CdA coach Tarragh Carr said. “It was frustrating. We had a lot of opportunities.”