A second-half comeback spoils Idaho’s last chance for a Far West soccer championship

The U-15 Idaho Rush girls team ended its incredible U.S. Youth Soccer Far West Regional Championships run with a runner-up finish Sunday, eliminating Idaho’s final shot at regional supremacy.

Three straight goals in the second half and overtime guided Wasatch SC (Utah) to a 4-3 win over Idaho Rush in the U-15 girls championship at Boise’s Simplot Sports Complex.

The U-15 Rush girls made history by becoming the first Idaho Rush team, boys or girls, to win a quarterfinal and semifinal match at Far West. But Sunday’s loss keeps the U-19 Nova-Nationals girls of 2015 as the only Far West champion from the Gem State.

Idaho teams are now 0-5 in championship games since its lone title seven years ago.

Rush’s Maizy Kluksdal broke the scoreless tie in the first minute with a curling free kick over Wasatch goalkeeper Lexie Lund. Two minutes later, a Wasatch cross found Ava Talaeai’s head in front of Rush’s goal to even the score.

Rush immediately responded after a failed clearance in the Wastatch penalty box gave Amelia Callaghan an easy finish — the third goal of the game just five minutes in.

Kunie Hirai would add to the Rush lead in the 23rd minute with a drive through the Wasatch center backs and slotted finish.

“Both teams left it all out (on the field),” said Oliver Frick, the Rush U-15 coach and associate technical director. “It was back and forth, a really tight game and it really could have gone either way.”

A foul on Wasatch’s Taylee Hughes in the Rush penalty box led to a Sydney Torres penalty kick goal, cutting the lead to 3-2 three minutes into the second half.

That Wasatch spark put pressure on the Rush defense for the remainder of regulation, including a 1v1 save by Rush goalkeeper Marin MacKenzie in the 70th minute to keep Rush in front.

A handball by Rush in the 79th minute won Wasatch a free kick 25 yards out from Rush’s goal. In the final play of regulation, a Torres blast to the back post deflected off MacKenzie and rolled into the goal to tie the score 3-3.

Wasatch kept the momentum swing going in overtime, with a MacKenzie save helping Jocelyn Wright find the game-winning goal off a header in the 104th minute.

Wasatch finished the game with a 22-9 shot advantage. MacKenzie provided 15 saves for Rush.

“It’s a tough defeat for (the players) to swallow, but I think we live and learn from this and move on,” Frick said.

Wasatch’s regional title secured them an automatic berth to the U.S. Youth Soccer National Championships on July 19-24 in Orlando, Florida. Rush already clinched a national tournament spot after winning its U.S. Youth Soccer National P.R.O. League title in March — becoming just the fourth Idaho team to qualify for nationals.

“We were state champs, national league pro champs and now regional finalists,” Frick said. “If you would have sat down at the start of the year and said, ‘Let’s do that stuff,’ everyone would have been on the same page and gotten excited about it.

“We now get the chance to go to nationals, so we’ll start preparing for that and see what we can do.”