Boise banishes its ‘burden.’ How the Brave turned years of heartbreak into a state title
Annie Liebich knew the pain of losing a state championship game like no one else.
She felt it the past three years as the Boise girls soccer team brought home a second-place trophy each time.
But now she knows the joy of hoisting a state championship trophy.
The senior center back led Boise to a 2-0 win over Centennial in the 5A state finals Saturday, snapping Boise’s run of four straight runner-up finishes that predated even Liebich’s time in a Brave uniform.
“For those who have been through it, it’s a great experience to be cheering instead of crying now,” Liebich said in a phone interview over her teammates’ singing on the bus ride home.
Boise’s only four-year varsity member put the Brave (19-1-0) ahead early at Bonneville High in Idaho Falls. The center back corralled a clearance in the 16th minute, wound up and blasted a 40-yard laser into the back of the net for her third goal of the season.
Sophomore forward Kunie Hirai followed in the 32nd minute, driving into the 6-yard box before cutting back across the face of the net and burying her third goal in as many days at the state tournament.
That two-goal lead proved more than enough for Boise’s suffocating defense, which posted its 12th shutout this season behind Sophie Hills’ eight saves. As the clock wound down, a celebration five years in the making was finally unleashed as the Brave stormed the field.
“I’ve never been so overwhelmed with emotion in my life,” Hills said. “It was so much excitement and relief that we did it.”
The title also allowed Hills to fulfill a promise she made three years ago. She told the team she’d perform a backflip when they won the state championship. The backflip ended up delayed until Saturday, but it was worth it — she unleashed a flip seconds before the perennial power received its first state championship trophy in nine years.
“We were just like, ‘We only have one route. We’re not losing again. We won’t let it happen,’” Hills said. “A lot of us couldn’t even think about losing state this year because it’s such a heartbreak every time.”
The weight of four straight state championship losses would crush most teams. But instead of running from it, Boise confronted it. Liebich said the Brave heard all the whispers about how Boise couldn’t deliver on the biggest stage and turned those into fuel.
“It’s a burden they have to carry,” Boise coach Nicole Arsenault said. “And they chose to not carry it in terms of weighing them down. They chose to carry it as motivation.”
ROCKY MOUNTAIN FALLS IN SHOOTOUT: Lake City (17-1-0) converted all six of its penalty kicks to take the 5A third-place trophy, topping the Grizzlies 6-5 in a shootout after a 2-2 draw.
Rocky Mountain (15-6-0) trailed 2-0 at halftime before Kaitlyn Slocum scored twice to force overtime. With a driving wind at her back, she lofted free kicks into the net in the 43rd and 50th minutes.
EAGLE WINS CONSOLATION TITLE: Brooklyn Baird, Madeline Knoll, Leah Barnes and Merea Hummer all converted their penalty kicks as the Mustangs topped Highland 4-2 in a shootout after a 2-2 draw.
Eagle shooters went 4-for-4 in the shootout. Naomi Hilbig and Baird scored in regulation for the Mustangs (16-4-1).
This story was originally published October 22, 2022 at 6:44 PM.
