Idaho state soccer: Lake City girls fall to Centennial on penalty kicks

One hundred minutes of soccer and a full round of penalty kicks weren’t enough to decide the 5A girls soccer state championship.

Lake City and Centennial needed sudden-death penalty kicks to determine the winner of Saturday’s heart-stopping state final at Brighton Stadium. The Patriots prevailed when goalkeeper Asha Tullock turned aside Monique Queen’s shot—her second clutch save of the shootout.

It is the second consecutive championship for Centennial (14-3-3), which reached the final by edging Coeur d’Alene 1-0 on Thursday and Boise 1-0 in overtime Friday.

“It’s tough,” Lake City coach Matt Ruchti said. “It just didn’t go our way at the very end, but Centennial has a great group. They are defending champions, and there’s a reason for that.”

On Saturday, no reason stood out more than Tullock. With the game in the balance on the final kick of the five-round shootout, she turned aside Lake City senior and San Diego State commit Camryn Wendlandt to keep the Patriots alive. Alyse Erickson opened the sudden-death round with a goal for Centennial, and Tullock again came up big with the save on Queen.

“There’s just so much pressure in that moment,” Tullock said. “I was just trying to read the shooters’ hips and do my best to block it with the state championship on the line. When I made the save, it was just the biggest rush and the biggest high. It was awesome.”

Tullock was a fitting hero after she kept the Patriots in the game early. The Timberwolves applied pressure throughout the first half, with freshman Bridget Rieken ripping a free kick off the crossbar and Tullock turning aside two more quality chances.

Lake City (14-1-2) finally broke through in the game’s 21st minute. Senior defender Kelsi Grinde sent a well-placed corner kick to the front of the net, and after a blocked shot attempt, Rieken punched home the loose ball for a 1-0 lead. But that was all the offense the Timberwolves could muster.

“I wish we would have finished the opportunities we had in the first half, but that’s the way the game is played,” Ruchti said.

The second half was more evenly played, with both teams sprinkling scoring chances between long stretches of physical midfield play. But Centennial was able to net the equalizer in the 8th minute, with senior forward Alexa Glick cleaning up a goalmouth scrum after a free kick by freshman Grace Pekovich.

The first 10-minute overtime was a back-and-forth affair, with both teams generating quality chances. Wendlandt sent a header wide of the cage with 10 seconds left, ensuring double OT.

Rieken had two great chances to end it in the second overtime. Her free kick from 30 yards out was on target, but Tullock leaped up and punched it over the crossbar with one hand. Moments later, Rieken headed a corner kick that went just high.

That set up the shootout, where each team went 3-for-5 in the first round to set up the sudden-death penalty kick-off.

“Sometimes you win and sometimes you don’t,” Ruchti said. “That’s why we play this game. These kids live for these moments, and if I had to do it again, I’d pick the exact same five (penalty kick shooters) and send them right back out there.”

Coeur d’Alene Charter falls in 3A title match

Coeur d’Alene Charter Academy’s bid to repeat as 3A state champion fell one win short as the Panthers lost 4-1 to Weiser Saturday at Middleton High School.

Weiser junior standout Lauren Bouvia notched a second-half hat trick to cap a record-setting season. The UC Davis commit scored an Idaho all-class record 16 goals during the state tournament to finish the season with 127 goals—the most scored by any U.S. high school player in recorded history.

“All the credit goes to Weiser,” Panthers coach David Baxter said. “Not only is Bouvia a great player, but they also have a great team around her, and they played at a really high level.”

Junior midfielder Brooklyn Cunningham scored a late second-half goal for Coeur d’Alene Charter, which finishes the season with a 14-6-1 record. Goalkeeper Jacklyn Jensen made eight saves for the Panthers.

Weiser senior Grace Cunningham scored the Wolverines’ first goal, and Brittany Hickey made five saves for Weiser (20-1-0).

Rocky Mountain 3, Coeur d’Alene 0: Raimee Sherle scored two goals to lead the Grizzlies past the Vikings (10-6-1) in the 5A state consolation finals match in Meridian, Idaho. Brianna Burup also scored for Rocky Mountain.

Timberlake 3, Marsh Valley 1: Maurie Roth scored two goals and Shelby Starr added another as the Tigers (18-1-1) topped the Eagles in the 3A state third-place match in Caldwell, Idaho.

Boys

Lake City 3, Centennial 2: Jack Barrett, Garrett Flolo and Travis Swallow all scored to lead the Timberwolves (14-1-2) past the Patriots in the 5A state third-place match in Eagle, Idaho.

Lake City keeper Jared Stone made six saves.

Century 3, Lakeland 1: Hunter Mansfield, Oakley Linschied and Jurnee Lurcero scored goals to power the Diamondbacks past the Hawks (14-3-2) in the 5A state title match in Caldwell.

Daniel McDevitt scored Lakeland’s lone goal.