Strikers qualify for regionals

| June 22, 2005 9:00 PM

SANDPOOINT — The U19 Sandpoint Strikers have been on a miraculous roll.

After blanking the Boise Nationals 2-0 for the championship of the boys under-19 division at the Idaho State Cup in Coeur d'Alene last month, the Strikers qualified for the Far West Regional in Aurora, Colo.

Since the tournament opened on June 19, the Sandpoint team comprised of an all-star mixture of players from Sandpoint's club team, players from Snohomish (Wash.) United and several from college teams have posted impressive wins.

They pounded the Utah team 6 -1 and knocked off New Mexico 3 -1. Their only loss has been to Hawaii, which slipped by the Strikers by a 3 -1 margin.

Next up for the Strikers is Northern California's U19 team.

Coached by Abbas Faridnia, an assistant at Community Colleges of Spokane, the Strikers boast 10 players on their roster from Idaho, including five from Sandpoint — Conor Baranski, Lee France, Patrick Hoffman, Halvor Mikkelsen and Anthony Sorentino.

Baranksi is a midfielder who plays at Gonzaga.