Hewitt injury makes Region 1 championship bittersweet

SANDPOINT - The Sandpoint Bulldogs celebrated their 5A Region 1 girls soccer championship in an unusual manner - with a trip to the hospital.

But that's where Bailey Hewitt, the Bulldogs' standout forward, was being evaluated after suffering a knee injury midway through the first half Thursday afternoon.

Junior Alicia Mertz's second goal of the game - a penalty kick in the fourth minute of the second overtime, in the rapidly fading light - capped an improbable comeback that lifted the Bulldogs past the Coeur d'Alene Vikings 2-1 in the regional title game at Travers Park.

"At halftime we heard about her, that she went to the emergency room. We were just, 'We've got to win this game for Bailey," said Mertz, a defender who was getting choked up talking about her teammate. "We all look up to her and when she went down, everyone's minds were just blank."

Sandpoint (13-3-4), which beat Coeur d'Alene for the regional title for the second straight year, advances to state next week in Meridian. The Bulldogs open Thursday against Capital (14-4-2) of Boise, the third-place team from District 3, at 8:30 a.m. PDT at Meridian High.

Coeur d'Alene (10-5-4), which suffered its first loss to an Idaho team this year, will play Centennial (13-6-1) of Boise, the fifth-place finisher in District 3, on Saturday at 1 p.m. in Lewiston for a berth to state.

"Opportunities are wonderful, but you need to capitalize on one more than the opposition," said Coeur d'Alene coach Tarragh Carr, whose team out-shot Sandpoint 11-7. "It's very tough, but I'm extremely confident that we're going to make it to state."

Hewitt, who has a team-high 17 goals, injured her left knee in the 23rd minute as the tried to maneuver past a Coeur d'Alene defender in a battle for the ball in the box. Her knee gave way and she went down in pain, screaming. She said she heard a "pop," said Sandpoint coach Adam Tajan, who did not know the severity of the injury immediately after the game.

"We'll keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best, but it didn't look good initially," said Tajan, who read a text message sent from Hewitt to the team after the game. "She's such an instrumental player in every aspect … for a player like that to go down, I think the girls were real inspired to win for her."

Just a few minutes after that, Coeur d'Alene scored. Chemae Roberts chipped a ball into the box that took a high hop over Sandpoint keeper Kelsey Windju. Sadie Simon ran onto the ball and tapped it in from right in front of the goal in the 30th minute.

Tajan reminded his team at halftime they had won once without Hewitt before - handing Greater Spokane League power Lewis and Clark its only loss to date.

Three minutes into the second half, Mertz sent in a free kick from 50 yards out which kept sailing. It drifted over the head of Viking keeper Christine Woeller and under the crossbar to tie the game at 1.

"From my point of view, it looked like it was just going over the crossbar," Mertz said. "I put my head down and all of a sudden everyone starts screaming and I was like, 'Wait, did I just score that goal?'"

"I'm not sure if Alicia will claim that as a shot, but we'll take it, man," Tajan said.

Two minutes later, Sandpoint's Brittany Oakley headed a cross from Elle Kiselica just wide of the far post.

The Vikings nearly took the lead in the 63rd minute, when Windju was caught out from the net chasing a cross. Coeur d'Alene's Hayley Smith had a good look at the goal from about 7 yards out, but Bulldog Liz Stone raced across the front of the goal and booted her shot away.

In the 67th minute, on another free kick from Mertz, Sandpoint's Brittany Clawson crashed into Woeller as she went up and caught the ball. Woeller suffered a knot on the back of her head when she hit the ground, and the sophomore had to come out of the game.

Junior Kaitlyn Nearing replaced her in goal, and came up with a big save of her own early in the second overtime, diving to her right to snuff a low shot by Oakley from 5 yards out.

"I have a great goalie - I wouldn't even call her a backup goalie. They're equal," Carr said.

But just a couple minutes later, Sandpoint freshman Ellie Engel chased down a through ball that rolled just into the upper left corner of the box. Nearing came out on the ball, but Engel got the touch just before Nearing got there, and the Viking keeper got a piece of Engel and sent her tumbling.

A penalty kick was called, and Mertz beat Nearing with a low shot to the keeper's left.

"I go to the right side every time," Mertz said. "I have never, ever gone to the left. I have missed one PK my entire soccer career."

First half - 1, Cd'A, Sadie Simon (Chemae Roberts), 30:00. Second half - 2, Spt, Alicia Mertz (unassisted), 43:00. First overtime - none. Second overtime - 3, Spt, Mertz (penalty kick), 94:00.

Shots on goal - Cd'A 11, Spt 7.

Saves - Cd'A, Christine Woeller 4, Kaitlyn Nearing 1. Spt, Kelsey Windju 8.