Back again? Upset win propels Idaho youth soccer team back to national semifinals
Unsatisfied with one history-making run, the Idaho Rush U-16 girls soccer team did it again Thursday.
The Boise-based club finished atop its four-team group and clinched its second straight trip to the semifinals of the U.S. Youth Soccer National Championships by knocking off Club Ohio 2-1 in Orlando, Florida.
Only four Idaho teams have ever made it to the semifinals of the country’s oldest youth soccer tournament. This Rush age group now represents two of those four teams.
“It shows the true quality and desire to compete that this group has,” Idaho Rush coach Olly Frick said. “It was very special last year. Being here last year was a dream. But coming back is even better.”
Incoming Boise High junior Kunie Hirai scored both goals Thursday, leaving her with three through the group stage.
She spotted Rush a 1-0 lead at halftime. Club Ohio, the No. 3-ranked team in the country, tied the match on a free kick in the 70th minute. But Hirai buried the left-footed game-winner six minutes later off a free kick from Isabelle Wright.
Idaho will face the Utah Surf at 6 a.m. Mountain Time on Saturday in the semifinals. The two met in the Far West regional finals last month. Idaho won 1-0.
Thursday’s win adds to the growing list of accomplishments for Rush’s U-16 girls. They were the first Rush team to win a knockout game at Far West last summer. They were the first Rush team to make it to nationals. They became the second Idaho team to ever win a Far West regional title last month.
Now, they are the first Idaho team to make two trips to the national semifinals.
“They’ve been with each other since they were 9 years old,” Frick said. “It’s a true testament that when you stay together, face adversity together and win together as a team, you ultimately get rewarded with things like these.
“Hopefully, our younger teams, coaches and girls — and even our boys — hopefully this inspires them that they can do the same thing.”
No Idaho team has ever won the national title, and only one reached the finals. The U-19 Nova-National girls took second in 2015 after falling on penalty kicks.
This story was originally published July 20, 2023 at 1:45 PM.
