Sandpoint qualifies for State 5A for first time

It’s always been suspected that the Sandpoint High girls soccer team, winners of four State 4A titles since the Idaho High School Activities Association began overseeing the sport seven years ago, would more than hold its own if it were in the 5A classification.

Sandpoint will get the opportunity to find out next week after the No. 3-seeded Bulldogs used an own goal to stop No. 2 Lake City 1-0 in a 5A Region I tournament winner-to-state, loser-out semifinal Thursday at LC.

The Bulldogs (10-5-4) will meet defending state champ Coeur d’Alene (13-4-1) on Saturday to decide the regional championship and seeding to state. The match is at noon. Top-seeded CdA downed No. 4 Lewiston 2-1 in the other semifinal with the game-deciding score also coming on an own goal.

The state tourney will be held Thursday through Oct. 20 at Post Falls High School.

Sandpoint had to move up to 5A this year when the Lake Pend Oreille School District allowed two players from Clark Fork – Bailey Hewitt and Shaina Gustafson – to try out. Under state rule, Sandpoint had to count Clark Fork’s enrollment, and the combined numbers pushed Sandpoint into 5A.

“We’re kind of in uncharted territory,” Sandpoint coach Adam Tajan said. “Nobody has ever had the mentality that this wasn’t the right thing to do. Everybody on the team – including the coaching staff – it’s always been that we’ve been excited about (playing in 5A). Now we’re going to state so it’s even that much more exciting.”

The lone goal came in the 24th minute. Sandpoint midfielder Nicole Van Dyk took a shot from about 30 yards out that bounced high at the 10-yard mark in front of the goal. LC defender Alli Carpenter tried to head the ball as goalkeeper Shannon Fraser came out, but the ball flew past Fraser into the net.

“(The goal) was well-earned from hard pressure and constant work rate,” Tajan said. “That happens and I’ve seen it time and time again. Mistakes happen, but mistakes are created by the pressure that’s applied.”

LC coach Matt Ruchti thought it was a simple miscommunication between players.

“The defender is moving to the ball, she hesitates (and) our keeper doesn’t call for it – or not loud enough,” Ruchti said. “You can’t fault the defender and you can’t fault the keeper. Or you can fault them both. It’s just unfortunate, but that stuff happens in the game. The ball never bounces exactly how you want it.”

Sandpoint did a good job defending LC forward Ciara Kremer. The Bulldog who found herself on Kremer the most was sophomore Elli Kiselica.

“She’s been a handful for every team in the league,” Tajan said of Kremer. “We didn’t necessarily send a mark her way, but she tends to drift and play on the left side a lot and Elli’s our left-side back. She did a great job of frustrating her and being right there.”

Soccer, like any sport, is many times about matchups. Sandpoint swept both league matches from LC; LC took both from CdA; and CdA topped Sandpoint twice.

Sandpoint controlled the action in the first half before LC started playing with more aggression in the final 40 minutes.

“It was physical and it usually is between Lake City and Sandpoint,” Tajan said. “Finishing the game, playing to that final whistle, was very important.”

Hewitt, one of Sandpoint’s top goal scorers, praised LC’s defense.

“Brittany Clawson and I were switching off at forward and they shut both of us down,” Hewitt said. “They did a great job in the back end.”