Few expected Boise to contend for titles. It proved them wrong as district champs
The Boise High girls soccer dynasty stood on life support just three weeks ago.
The Brave sat in sixth place in the 13-team 6A Southern Idaho Conference. Reaching an eighth straight state championship game looked like a long shot. Even making the state tournament remained in doubt.
But the perennial power hasn’t lost since, adding a 2-1 victory over Mountain View on Wednesday to capture the program’s third district championship in the past four years and re-establish itself as a state title contender.
“We just kicked butt, went up to third place, and proved them wrong and won district,” Boise junior Olivia Lamb said.
Boise (12-2-3) jumped on the scoreboard early Wednesday at Owyhee, receiving a 3rd-minute gift from the Mavericks (13-3-3). Grace Hatch’s corner kick landed harmlessly on the far side of the box, and Emerson Shirey sent a volley back toward the net. But Mountain View goalkeeper Laney Otero lost track of her place on the field while following the sky-high volley, handling the ball inside her own net to award Boise a 1-0 lead.
The Brave added a more traditional goal in the 44th minute on a slick, quick-hitting combination by Josie Reedy and Lamb. Reedy flicked a throw-in into the box, finding Lamb in stride. The Boise senior then one-timed the game-winner into the net from 8 yards out.
That insurance goal proved crucial as Mountain View’s Vivian Sipe sprung Samantha Jones for a breakaway goal in the 78th minute. But the Mavericks’ comeback ran out of time as Boise’s backline held on and thwarted Mountain View’s prolific strikers over and over again.
Boise already owns a litany of district and state championships as one of the state’s most decorated programs. But Wednesday’s came as a bit of a surprise in what looked like a rebuilding year.
The Brave started the season picked fourth in the 6A SIC preseason coaches’ poll. The loss of 12 seniors, including four Division I signees, posed an identity crisis. And after starting 4-2-3 through the first month, the Brave hadn’t found many answers.
But Boise quietly started stringing together victories. It rose to third in the final regular-season standings, then stretched its unbeaten streak to nine games with Wednesday’s district championship.
“We might have the least amount of club players. We’re not as fast. We’re not as strong. We’re not a lot of things,” Boise coach Ali Leonard said. “But when you come together as a team, that’s what you saw tonight.
“They believe in each other and play for each other.”
STATE TOURNAMENT QUALIFIERS
Boise and Mountain View already clinched their trips to state Monday. They advance to next week’s tournament alongside Rocky Mountain (13-2-3), Timberline (13-1-4) and Owyhee (13-4-1) from the Treasure Valley.
Eagle (10-8-3) also remains alive and will face Lake City (13-0-1) in a state play-in game Saturday at Lewiston.
Seeds and first-round matchups depend on each team’s final MaxPreps.com rankings, which won’t become available until Sunday.
5A DISTRICT CHAMPIONSHIP
MIDDLETON 8, SKYVIEW 2: The Vikings (12-5-0) cruised to their sixth straight win to repeat as district champs Tuesday at Caldwell. No details were reported.
This story was originally published October 15, 2025 at 9:55 PM.
