Rout sends Idaho Rush to national soccer semifinals. A chance for payback is next
A youth soccer team from Idaho continued to turn heads around the nation Thursday.
The Idaho Rush U-15 girls routed Cincinnati United 4-0 to win their group at the U.S. Youth Soccer National Championships, clinching Rush a spot in the semifinals Saturday in Orlando, Florida.
The victory continues a banner year for the Rush squad. After becoming the first team in Rush history to qualify for nationals, it is now just the third team in Idaho history to reach the semifinals at the premier U.S. Youth Soccer tournament.
“I think it hasn’t probably sunk in for the team what they’ve achieved this year and where they’re at, which can be a pro in and of itself,” said Olly Frick, the U-15 coach and girls program director with Idaho Rush. “They don’t put pressure on themselves and they’re not listening to the outside noise.
“Once they realize, it’s going to be a memory that lasts forever. They should be proud of what they’ve accomplished.”
Rush didn’t concede a single goal during three group stage games but needed to beat Cincinnati United in the final match to advance to the semis.
Kunie Hirai opened the scoring, and goalkeeper Marin MacKenzie deflected a shot off the crossbar in stoppage time to give Idaho a 1-0 lead at halftime. Rush then poured it on in the second half with two goals from Isabelle Wright and a final tally from Averie Green.
“I think each game we’ve gotten better as we’ve figured out how to play in the heat and the humidity, how to utilize the ball and reserve some energy playing,” Frick said. “Our legs are still there, and hopefully we can give it one last shot.”
Rush will face Utah’s Wasatch SC at 8:30 a.m. Mountain time Saturday in the semifinals. The matchup gives Idaho a shot at payback after Wasatch rallied in the final minute of the Far West finals and eventually won the regional title in overtime.
“In the last two to three months, we’ve played three times,” Frick said. “We beat them once, they beat us once and we’ve tied.
“There’s a little bit of a sour taste in our mouths being 30 seconds away from a regional title. We know what we have to do, and hopefully the pieces fall our way.”
No Idaho team has ever won a U.S. Youth Soccer national title. Idaho’s best finish came in 2015, when the U-19 Nova-Nationals girls took second after losing in the championship match on penalty kicks.
The U-15 Boise Thorns girls also reached the semifinals in 2019 before falling on penalty kicks.
This story was originally published July 21, 2022 at 1:51 PM.
