CdA’s 1-0 wonders
Coeur d’Alene picked up right where it left off while Sandpoint stumbled Thursday in the State 5A girls soccer tournament at Post Falls High School.
The defending state champion Vikings, who won all three matches at last year’s tourney by 1-0 scores, did so again this year in a physical 1-0 victory over Boise, getting stellar play from senior goalkeeper Amanda Wemple and a 48th-minute tally from junior Jessica Duran.
Sandpoint, making its first state appearance in the 5A ranks, came out sluggish but played Mountain View of Boise tightly most of the way before giving up a couple of late goals in a 3-0 loss to the Mavericks.
In other opening-round matches, powerhouse Eagle got two goals apiece from standout Halley Kreminski and Melissa Drew as the Mustangs dominated Madison 6-0 and Timberline topped previously unbeaten Highland of Pocatello 2-0.
In today’s 2 p.m. winner’s-bracket games, CdA (14-5-1) faces Timberline (11-5-2) and Eagle (13-1-4), winner of three out the last four titles, squares off with Mountain View (6-12-0). In 11 a.m. loser-out matches, Sandpoint (11-6-4) plays Madison (11-8-1) and Boise (12-3-3) plays Highland (15-1-4).
Coeur d’Alene 1, Boise 0: In a rematch of last year’s title game, it was the Braves, not the Vikings, who came out hot.
Boise junior Miah Mollay put a couple of balls right on goal in the first 30 minutes, the first coming on a 1-on-1 blast from the top of the box that Wemple turned away with a step and a full layout dive to her right, and the second coming on a header that bounced off the crossbar.
Crises averted, CdA put up the only goal of the match, 8 minutes into the second half, when senior Marissa Poorboy curled a perfect corner kick into the goal mouth and onto the head of Duran, who knocked it down and left into the goal past Braves keeper Hannah Anderson.
“Putting it in there was just amazing – I can’t even think straight right now,” Duran said. “The first half, we psyched ourselves out, and we came out very nervous. By halftime, we stepped it up and I think we had more confidence, definitely, in the second half.”
Boise had its best chance for the equalizer in the 65th minute, but Wemple stymied the Braves again, diving to her left to turn away another Mollay header that would have found the net.
“It was a dirty game, and they obviously wanted it just as bad as we did,” Wemple said.
As for the big play on Mollay’s first shot, Wemple said letting the ball past was simply not an option.
“I knew she was going to shoot it, but I didn’t know how clean it was going to be – and it was pretty clean,” she said. “My head is just Jell-O right now. My friends were telling me that was like the pro keeper save, but I guess if that’s what you have to do to get it done.”
Mountain View 3, Sandpoint 0: Sandpoint, the North’s No. 1 seed coming off a victory over CdA in the regional championship, never really got started against the Mavericks, the Boise area’s No. 4 seed.
“We definitely played in the middle of the field the entire game and neither team really had very many chances,” Bulldogs coach Adam Tajan said. “I thought we had a couple, and I thought they had a couple, and they buried them.”
Freshman forward phenom Shalese Miller had two goals and an assist for Mountain View, which outshot Sandpoint 10-3.
“I’ve got to admit, it’s very disappointing being one of the two North Idaho teams in it, and not showing up, first seed versus fourth,” Tajan said. “And maybe that’s part of it. From a coaching standpoint, you try not to let your players think too far into that.
“It’s the fourth seed out of Boise, they’re 6-11, but, you know, hey, everybody has a chance, and everybody’s going to step up and play their best soccer of the year. Why we didn’t, I have no idea.”