Girls state soccer: Boise opens title defense with shutout win. 5A semifinals are all local
The Boise High School girls soccer team, in search of its sixth straight appearance in the 5A state championship game, started defense of its 2022 title Thursday without one of the best players in school history.
No problem. The Brave are used to it.
Sammy Smith, a Stanford commit, didn’t take the field in the first round of the state tournament because she’s in Chile, playing for the U-19 U.S. National team in the Pan American Games. She also missed state last season, and Boise still won its first championship since 2013.
Smith’s absence didn’t slow down the team Thursday. Three different players scored goals as No. 1 Boise cruised to a 3-0 win over No. 8 Centennial.
“Sammy is one of the best players we’ve ever seen in this state, but we have kids who are willing to step up and fill the gaps,” Boise coach Nicole Arsenault said. “Our kids set goals early on every year, and they work every practice and every game to achieve them. That’s proof of the investment they’ve made to get where they are.”
The Brave (16-0-1) are one step closer to achieving their annual goal of playing for a state title. They’ll face No. 4 Eagle (12-4-1) in the semifinals Friday at Rocky Mountain High. The 5A championship game is set for 2 p.m. Saturday at Rocky Mountain.
Boise and Eagle played once this season, with the Brave winning 2-0.
“Neither team was quite what they are now, so we’re looking forward to this next challenge,” Arsenault said.
Boise went into halftime with a 2-0 lead on goals from Kunie Hirai and Grace Hatch. The latter goal was set up by a textbook cross from Marisol Stosich that somehow made its way through a tangled web of defenders.
The Brave scored their third goal just five minutes into the second half. Nolyn Cromie collected a pass from Hatch and buried a shot in the corner of the net, just beyond the outstretched fingers of Centennial goalie Lilly Simpson, who finished with nine saves.
“We have good players, and that never hurts,” Arsenault said. “But we also have players that work for each other and work together.”
Boise didn’t just dominate on the scoreboard. The Brave also controlled the pace of the game, recording 18 shots on goal while limiting Centennial to four.
“Our job is to keep the ball because when we don’t have it, we can’t predict how the game goes,” Arsenault said. “It’s part of how we play, because you can’t lose the game if you don’t lose the ball.”
EAGLE 1, HIGHLAND 0: No. 4 Eagle got a goal from Aubri Smith to earn a spot in the semifinals. Goalie Katherine Southard kept a clean sheet against No. 5 Highland and finished the game with seven saves.
TIMBERLINE 1, LAKE CITY 0: Montana commit Ashlyn Sandow collected a pass from Gabriella McHargue to send No. 2 Timberline into halftime with the lead. The Wolves (14-3-2) then kept No. 7 Lake City off the scoreboard to punch their ticket to the semifinals. Timberline will face Owyhee (14-4-1) in the semifinals at 3 p.m. Friday at Rocky Mountain.
OWYHEE 1, MOUNTAIN VIEW 0: After a scoreless first half, No. 3 Owyhee’s Megan Haws showed off her leg strength on a shot that covered almost 30 yards before tucking into the back of the net.
No. 6 Mountain View (11-7-1) just missed on two chances to tie the game. First, a header bounced off the top of the Storm’s goal in the final 9 minutes of regulation. Moments later, Mountain View’s Ava Poyser collected a shot that ricocheted off of Owyhee goalie Ashlyn Fuss and appeared to score the tying goal. But the ball hit the football post above the crossbar before Fuss touched it, so it was ruled out of bounds.
4A STATE TOURNAMENT
BISHOP KELLY 4, IDAHO FALLS 0: Defending state champion Bishop Kelly rolled into the semifinals. Kenzie Hill, Sophie Schmautz, Taylor Deitzel and Kate Silvers all scored for the second-seeded Knights (17-1-1). Schmautz, a Boise State commit, scored her 36th goal of the season and the 93rd goal of her high school career.
Bishop Kelly will face Twin Falls, which upset No. 3 Vallivue, in the semifinals Friday at Brothers Park in Caldwell.
TWIN FALLS 3, VALLIVUE 2: No. 6 Twin Falls (13-5-1) punched its ticket to the semifinals with goals from Tiffany Humphreys, Izzy Pelayo and Elektra Cresswell. Bruins goalie Addison Fiscus finished with seven saves. Amanda Soto and Jenna Seals scored for Vallivue (14-6-0).
3A STATE TOURNAMENT
KIMBERLY 1, HOMEDALE 0: The Trojans’ second-year program played the tightest first-round match at the tournament. But a goal from Ellie Stastny proved too much for No. 7 Homedale (9-2-3) to overcome to upset No. 2 Kimberly (19-1-0).
MARSH VALLEY 2, FRUITLAND 0: The No. 6 Grizzlies (12-4-2) also fell in the opening round, setting up an all-SRV semifinal against Homedale at 11 a.m. Friday at Vallivue.
This story was originally published October 19, 2023 at 7:25 PM.