Lake City Trips Up Sandpoint, 5-1 Timberwolves Earn Spot In State High School Boys Soccer Tournament

Lake City parlayed a pair of offensive rebounds from senior Mike Thompson into a trip to the state high school boys soccer tournament next week in Boise.

Thompson’s back-to-back putbacks at the 17- and 20-minute marks of the first half sparked the Timberwolves to a 5-1 victory over Sandpoint in a wet, windy A-1 Region I playoff game on a soggy Hayden Meadows Elementary field Wednesday afternoon.

Lake City, 2-0, draws the top Boise seed in the opening round of the state tournament, Oct. 19-21 in Boise.

The Timberwolves outshot the Bulldogs, winners of the 1995 North Idaho Cup, 18-4.

Thompson got midfield support from junior Dan Clark who scored twice.

“They’re developing into two very dominating players,” Lake City coach Bill Eisenwinter said of Thompson and Clark. “Those two, and Jamie Landwehr, really led a strong attack in the middle.”

“We were just trying to move the ball through and at the middle, then redirect and take it to the goal,” Clark explained.

Thompson started shooting just 30 seconds into the game. At 14 minutes, a left-footed try rolled inches wide of the left goal post.

“There was a really big puddle out there on that (left) side that made it a little hectic,” Thompson said.

Clark sent a crossfield shot from about 25 yards over the top left end of the goal at the 16-minute mark.

One minute later, Sandpoint goalkeeper David Nickodemus tipped Clark’s shot off the crossbar. Thompson headed the rebound into the goal.

Thompson’s second putback into the left corner came on the run, a followup to Will Scott’s miss and exploited a Nickodemus, who slipped on the wet field.

The Bulldogs did not take a shot for 28 minutes in the first half.

Clark extended the lead to 3-0 on an empty-net goal at 35 minutes. The unlikely assist went to goalkeeper Chad Beadell whose 70-yard kick cleared the ball from the Timberwolves’ goal area.

Lake City led 4-0 at halftime.

“I was pleased with the way we played today, especially with the (weather) conditions,” Eisenwinter said. “This team has blended real well together and they play well as a unit. We’re just doing the simple things well.”