Vikings claim regional crown, advance to state
Soccer can be a game of inches.
Thursday, it was a game of minutes.
A couple of minutes is all it took for Coeur d’Alene to defeat Lake City 3-1 and earn a trip to state in the boys 5A Region I tournament at CHS.
The Vikings (14-2-1) gave up a goal in the 25th minute but answered with back-to-back scores in the 26th and 27th minutes to advance to the big dance, starting Thursday in Boise.
Lake City (8-9-2) travels to Lewiston to take on District III fifth-place Bishop-Kelly (8-7-5) in a play-in match Saturday at noon.
After a tentative start by both teams, LC defenseman Alex Day lit up the scoreboard seemingly from out of the blue. The senior’s unassisted, 25-yard bullet from the right point found the top left corner of the goal and silenced a raucous CdA cheering contingent.
Before the blue-and-white faithful had a chance to take it all in, Vikings defenseman Trey Leonard launched a missile from midfield that hit Casey Kirk 10 yards in front of LC keeper Robert Cook. Kirk promptly one-timed it with his right foot past a diving Cook, knotting the match at 1-all.
Less than a minute later, Justin Honsaker chased a ball into the right corner near the end line and crossed to senior Mike Vredenburg in the middle. Vredenburg found himself in front of an empty net just outside the box and knocked in only his second goal of the season. It ended up being the match-winning score and state-berth clincher.
Vredenburg, a big-time scorer in years past, said he has no complaints about his role this year as the set-up guy.
“It doesn’t matter to me if I get the goal. I’ve had quite a few assists this season,” said Vredenburg, who hit teammate Joe Hanich with a pass for the final goal of the contest. “What I’m hoping for is a state championship. I’m thinking we can get the win this year.”
First-year Vikings coach Eric Louis had nothing but praise for both teams, but he reserved something special for Vredenburg.
“Mike is the most unselfish player I’ve ever coached,” Louis said. “I think he’s up to, like, 16 assists. He’s a force. He makes things happen up there, he creates opportunities, and the other guys take advantage of that.”
Despite the loss, LC coach Adriano Eva said his team left the field with a feeling of confidence heading into Saturday’s match with BK.
“The guys had been building up to this game, and what you saw in the first half is what we can do as a team,” Eva said. “Coeur d’Alene is consistent as a team, and when they move off the ball, you have to watch. As a team, I think that’s where we failed.”
•Scott Gressard scored on a penalty kick in overtime to give Moscow a 1-0 win over visiting Sandpoint in the 4A Region I championship match. Peter Beard posted the shutout for the Bears (12-4), who qualified for the state tournament at Boise’s Capital Soccer Complex, which begins Thursday. Sandpoint (11-4-1) will play the District III third-place team in a state play-in match Saturday afternoon at Lewiston.
Cross country
Kootenai placed three boys in the top eight, including fourth-place Cameron Lockhart, during the 2A-1A District I-II meet at Troy. Lockhart completed the 5,000-meter course in 17 minutes, 41 seconds. Mullan’s Katlyn Valerio ran 22:52 to place sixth in the girls meet. Deary’s Josh Dalton (16:40) and Troy’s Beth Bailey (20:31) were individual champions. The top 12 boys and top seven girls qualified for the Oct. 30 state meet at Kelly Park in Soda Springs.