Boise teams dominate the first round of the girls soccer state tournaments
The Treasure Valley has ruled 5A girls soccer for years, winning 16 of the 19 state titles since Idaho first officially began sponsoring the sport.
The Boise region took it to another level Thursday, rolling through the first round of the 5A state tournament and clinching an all-Southern Idaho Conference semifinal to ensure another state title will return to the conference.
Rocky Mountain (15-1-2) hosts Timberline (13-2-3) in the first semifinal at 11:30 a.m. Friday. Mountain View (14-5-2) follows against Boise (16-2-2) at 2 p.m. Friday at Rocky Mountain.
BOISE 2, EAGLE 0
The duo of Kendra McDaniel and Mariah Albin wasted little time putting Boise on the board. And the pair struck again in the second half, lifting the defending state runner-up back into the semifinals.
Albin found the back of the net first in the seventh minute. McDaniel fired a postcard-worthy cross into the box, hitting Albin in stride over the top of a leaping defender. Albin then tapped it past Eagle goalkeeper Erin Cremer for the early 1-0 lead.
Albin sprained a toe last week during the district tournament and has suffered from turf toe since then, leaving Thursday in the walking boot. But that wasn’t going to keep her out of the state tournament.
“It hurts a lot,” said Albin, a Boise State commit. “But you’ve just got to play through it.”
McDaniel dominated the midfield Thursday, putting constant pressure on Eagle’s back line with runs up and down the field. She finally broke through with her own goal in the 47th minute after Albin dug the ball loose from a scrum and sent it out wide.
McDaniel then curled a 20-yard, left-footed shot around Cremer to give Boise some breathing room.
“Kendra is a ninja,” Boise coach Chris Siegenthaler said of the Oregon State commit. “She does things where you’re like, ‘Damn, how’d she do that?’”
Boise goalkeeper Bre Norris only needed to make one save to preserve the shutout. But Eagle (9-6-2) narrowly missed a pair of chances to tie the game in the second half when Bradie Garven hit the crossbar in the 64th minute and then the left post in the 66th minute.
The win sets up a rematch of the district semifinal against Mountain View, which Boise won 4-2 on penalty kicks after a scoreless draw. It also puts the Brave one step closer to another appearance in the state finals.
Boise surrendered a 3-0 lead in last year’s championship before losing to Rocky Mountain in a shootout.
“I think we have something to prove this year,” McDaniel said. “Obviously, last year, we came away with second. I think a lot of us are motivated to take it one game at a time. But every time we’re on the field, we leave it all out there because we really want it this year.”
MOUNTAIN VIEW 1, LAKE CITY 0
The Mavericks took the long road to the state tournament, surviving three overtime games at district and needing to win a play-in game to qualify. Mountain View extended its dramatic run with Olivia Vance’s game-winner in the 68th minute.
Mountain View racked up seven shots on goal but couldn’t convert until late in the second half when Brooke Snyder lifted a dangerous cross to the back post toward Sophia Avalos and Olivia Hersley. Neither could immediately capitalize, but Hersley dropped the ball back to Vance at the edge of the 18-yard box.
Vance missed a month earlier this season with a fractured elbow. But she didn’t show any rust as she took a touch to the right and beat Lake City goalkeeper Hailey Jo Parks to the right post for her 10th goal of the season.
“I didn’t think I could play overtime again,” Vance said. “It was good to get it in.”
The upset ends a five-year run of Lake City (11-3-0) reaching the 5A semifinals.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN 4, COEUR D’ALENE 0
Junior midfielder Kelsey Oyler, the 5A SIC’s leading scorer, netted two more goals to lead the defending state champ back to the semifinals for the fourth straight year.
Nadia Kincaid added a goal, and Rocky Mountain also benefited from a Coeur d’Alene (5-7-5) own goal.
TIMBERLINE 1, MADISON 0
Brooke Christie scored in the 27th minute off an assist from Chloe Bowes to lift the Wolves into the 5A semifinals.
Kylee McDonald stopped five shots to lead a Timberline defense that posted its 14th shutout of the season.
4A GIRLS SOCCER
BISHOP KELLY 8, BONNEVILLE 0: The Knights (19-0-1) poured in seven goals in the second half to run away with their first-round matchup and set up another battle with Sandpoint in the semifinals at 2 p.m. Friday at Caldwell’s Brothers Park.
Ali Chatterton and Jill Gooch both scored a pair of goals for Bishop Kelly, the three-time defending state champion on an 84-game unbeaten streak. Sara Sabala, Mia Cartwright, Alexis Pond and Maggie Novosel each added a goal.
Natalie Phillips made two saves as Bishop Kelly posted its 19th straight shutout. The only goal it has allowed this season was in the season opener.
KUNA 3, TWIN FALLS 2: Sophomore Celeste Pinkerton scored the game-winning goal in the 78th minute to hand Twin Falls (18-1-1) its first loss of the season.
Kuna (17-2-1) never trailed but needed the late score to avoid overtime. Fellow sophomore Natasja Davis sprung Pinkerton for a run, and Pinkerton reached out and redirected the deciding score off the right post and into the Twin Falls net.
Lexy Haws and Jayla Ponce also scored for Kuna, which faces Skyline (15-1-0) in a 2 p.m. semifinal Friday at Brothers Park.
SKYLINE 3, MIDDLETON 1: Emalie Wood’s lone goal wasn’t enough for the Vikings (12-8-2) as they fell to the Eastern Idaho champ, which got a pair of goals from Teresa Ledezma.
3A GIRLS SOCCER
WEISER 6, GRANGEVILLE 1: The Wolverines (12-5-2) rolled into the semifinals behind a pair of goals from Marissa Moyle. Weiser takes on Sugar-Salem (17-1-1) in a 2 p.m. semifinal Friday at Vallivue High.
This story was originally published October 24, 2019 at 7:37 PM.
