Lc Makes Right Adjustments, Knocks Off Stubborn Vikings 1-0
After watching his team control the first half of its cross-town matchup with Coeur d’Alene High and having no goals to show for it, Lake City soccer coach Jim Facciano decided to turn up the heat on a cold day.
“In the second half, we made some adjustments that put pressure on them and gave us a lot more shots on goal,” Facciano said.
One of those shots found the net off the foot of Lake City’s Mike Thompson, lifting the Timberwolves to a 1-0 North Idaho League victory at the Vikings’ new field.
Thompson scored at the 53:54 mark in the second half. Jarid Keefer centered the ball from the left wing and Thompson, who will play soccer next year at Gonzaga, flicked it over the head of sprawling Vikings goalkeeper Dave Scammell. Scammell was superb in goal to keep the Vikings close.
“I tried to stop and set my feet, but the grass was slick and I fell on my butt,” Scammell said.
Scammell made 11 saves despite repeated defensive breakdowns in front of him.
“It’s frustrating to lose the close ones,” Scammell said. “We’ve got a whole new group of players, so sometimes our communication breaks down.”
On the other end of the field, Lake City, which moved to 6-0 in league and 8-1 overall, played stellar defense behind the play of sweeper Ean Estep and goalkeeper Chad Beadell.
“Everything our team does starts because of defense,” Thompson said.
The go-to guy on offense for the Vikings (3-4, 6-6) was Ben Davis, who fired shots at Beadell from the left side despite heavy defensive pressure.
Beadell, who Estep called “the wall,” needed just three saves to post the shutout.
Thompson and Facciano felt that the key to victory was the T-Wolves ability to control the ball and get shots on goal.
Both teams were pumped up before the game and were looking forward to finding out who was the best team in the city. A 1-0 Lake City victory earlier in the year on a penalty kick left some doubt.
“It was a sweet victory,” Facciano said. “We always like to beat Coeur d’Alene.”