Championship rematch, part 4: Perennial powers meet again for a girls soccer title
The long-running battle between Rocky Mountain and Boise will add another chapter Saturday.
The two perennial powerhouses meet again for the 5A girls soccer state championship at 7 p.m. at Rocky Mountain, a rematch of last year’s state final and the fourth championship matchup in the past two years between the Grizzlies and the Brave.
Rocky Mountain (16-1-2) holds the current edge after winning last year’s state title and this season’s district championship. But Boise (17-2-2) has already topped the Grizzlies once this year and holds a 3-2-0 record over Rocky Mountain in the past two seasons, including a win in last year’s district championship.
“I’m really excited,” Boise’s Mariah Albin said of the rematch. “It’s going to be redemption. I’m hyped. Obviously we lost to Rocky last year, so we’re playing them again and (we’ve got to) show them what we have.”
ROCKY MOUNTAIN 1, TIMBERLINE 0
Rocky Mountain midfielder Violet Rademacher has the green light to shoot from anywhere on the field. And the sophomore showed why Friday.
The right-footed Rademacher lofted a left-footed, 45-yard shot over the head of Timberline goalkeeper Kylie McDonald in the 32nd minute. The shot clanged off the crossbar and then hit the back of the retreating McDonald on its way into the net, lifting the defending state champion back into the state finals.
The goal dropped jaws all around the stadium. But Rocky Mountain coach Donal Kaehler said the long-distance strike is nothing new for Rademacher.
“It’s not like that’s the first time she’s done it,” Kaehler said. “I can think of three right off the top of my head this year.”
Rademacher normally devotes her time to keeping opponents out of Rocky Mountain’s goal as a defensive midfielder. But when she received the ball and eyed McDonald off her line, Rocky Mountain midfielder Kelsey Oyler recognized the look in her teammate’s eyes and implored her to rip it.
“She is the backbone of our midfield playing that defensive, holding mid spot,” Oyler said. “Nothing gets past her. Nothing gets over her. Nothing. It’s crazy.
“That girl, she gets beat up in games but comes out with the ball every time, and I don’t know how she does it. And for her to get that goal just made all of her work so worth it.”
That lone goal proved to be enough as Grizzlies goalkeeper Kasey Wardle stopped seven shots to preserve the shutout. But none were bigger than a 74th-minute stop of Timberline’s top scorer, Ava Ranson.
Ranson broke down the left wing for a potential equalizer. But Wardle came off her line, cutting down the angle and the open space available for Ranson before smothering the shot.
Rocky Mountain beat Boise for last year’s state title by scoring three goals in the final 17 minutes to force extra time, then winning the championship in a shootout. The Grizzlies have heard whispers all year that their title was a fluke. They’ll set out Saturday to prove that it wasn’t.
“It motivates us to work harder so we can win again,” Rademacher said. “And show them that they are wrong, and that we’re the team to beat — not them.”
BOISE 3, MOUNTAIN VIEW 1
Boise fields a crew of creative and blazing midfielders who can tear holes in opposing defenses. But Albin sits at the top of the Boise formation for a reason.
The senior forward’s nose for the net shined Friday as she headed in a pair of goals to send Boise back to the state finals.
First, she got the end of a Kendra McDaniel cross in the 30th minute, banging home a shot inside the eight-yard box. Then the Boise State commit fought her way to a curling corner kick from Kayden Hulquist in the 55th minute to spot Boise a 2-0 lead.
“That’s what we like,” Boise coach Chris Siegenthaler said. “She’s the finisher of the trident when we get things going in there.”
Sophomore Logan Smith made it 3-0 Boise when McDaniel sprung her up the heart of the Mountain View defense in the 64th minute, tapping it past the goalkeeper before finishing off the goal and burying the Mavericks’ comeback chances.
Mountain View (14-6-2) got on the scoreboard in the 67th minute when goalkeeper Emily Morandi moved to striker and found the back of the net. The Mavericks drop into the third-place game, where they face Timberline (13-3-3) at 1 p.m. Saturday at Meridian.
Meanwhile, Boise gets another shot at Rocky Mountain with hardware on the line. Siegenthaler said to expect another nailbiter after last year’s state title game went to penalty kicks and the two teams split a pair of one-goal games this fall.
“It’s execution and who finishes their chances because both are pretty good sides, and it’s been close in all of the games we’ve played,” Siegenthaler said. “That’s top-level stuff for the Valley. Who blinks or who executes? Those are the two pieces.”
4A GIRLS SOCCER
KUNA 3, SKYLINE 1: Lexy Haws, Jayla Ponce and Samantha Wind all scored as the Kavemen (18-2-1) reached the state championship game for the first time since 2009.
Kuna faces Sandpoint (13-3-0) at 7 p.m. Saturday at Middleton High for a chance at its first state title since the Idaho High School Activities Association started sponsoring the tournament in 2000.
SANDPOINT 0, BISHOP KELLY 0: The Knights’ quest for a fourth straight state title and their 84-game unbeaten streak came to an end as they fell 10-9 in penalty kicks after 100 scoreless minutes. Bishop Kelly (19-1-1) drops into the third-place game against Skyline (15-2-0) at 1 p.m. Saturday at Caldwell’s Brothers Park.
3A GIRLS SOCCER
SUGAR-SALEM 2, WEISER 1 (OT): The Wolverines (12-6-2) pushed Sugar-Salem (18-1-1) into overtime before falling short of the upset. Marissa Moyle scored and Melissa Dandoval stopped nine shots for Weiser, which takes on Marsh Valley (14-3-2) for third place at 1 p.m. Saturday at Vallivue.
This story was originally published October 25, 2019 at 6:52 PM.
