Imlay nets hat trick in 4-0 win

POST FALLS — Senior Sebastian Imlay scored a hat trick of goals Saturday as the resurgent Bulldogs shut out Post Falls 4-0, avenging their first and only loss ever to the Trojans earlier in the season.

"Great senior leadership today, they finally stepped up to the plate," said assistant coach Paul Crossingham, who filled in for Randy Thoreson as the interim head coach. "Our team is finally starting to gel and play like they can."

Throw their pedestrian (5-9-2, 4-6-1 IEL) record out the window, this is a dangerous team. After a slew of early season injuries and some leadership issues, the team has come on of late. Imlay, who provides the Bulldogs with intense hustle when he's on the field, came out of nowhere to explode for his first goals of the season.

"That was his first real varsity scoring output, what a great way to do it; what a statement," said Thoreson. "He plays so tenacious, it's infectious. When he goes in the whole team gets a boost. He's a spark plug that creates stuff out of nothing and it pumps up the whole team."

The game was scoreless at the half and Imlay took the game over early in the second. He scored off a nice through ball from Ben Murray to put Sandpoint up 1-0. A minute later, Kyle Meaux had one of his patented headers off a corner kick from Alex Crossingham for a 2-0 lead. Imlay finished another through ball, this time from Daniel Anderson, for a 3-0 lead in the 46th minute.

When the Bulldogs were awarded a penalty kick, Imlay's teammates began chanting "Sea Bass, Sea Bass" (his nickname) hoping he could record a rare hat trick. He buried the ball into the back of the net for his third goal and a 4-0 lead.

The Bulldogs play at Lakeland today at 5 p.m.