Sandpoint, Lake City battle to 1-1 tie

SANDPOINT - Thwarted opportunities for Sandpoint and stellar goal keeping for Lake City ultimately resulted in a 1-1 tie Tuesday night in Inland Empire League girls soccer action at War Memorial Field.

Senior Bailey Hewitt blasted her 7th goal of the season off a beautiful crossing ball by Annie Vogel to put Sandpoint (5-2-1, 4-0-1 IEL) up 1-0 just over seven minutes into the game.

Lake City (4-1-3, 3-0-2 IEL) would get the equalizer later in the first half when Haley Spivey was in the right place at the right time to tap in a point blank, uncontested goal. On the play Sandpoint goalie Kelsey Windju caught a long shot out of the air, and as she went to bring the ball down it trickled out of her hands and rolled behind her.

The game remained tied despite Sandpoint getting a handful of great looks at goals, including a Brittany Oakley header with six minutes left that looked like the game winner before Lake City senior goalie Shannon Fraser made a sensational diving save by the post.

"I liked the chances we were generating, their goalkeeper just made some huge saves," said Sandpoint coach Adam Tajan, who called the tie rough. "We were putting the pressure on her; she was feeling it."

 Sandpoint out-shot Lake City 17-4, and Oakley had yet another header with about two minutes left that Fraser was again able to dive and stop - her 12th save of the game. It was nothing Lake City head coach Matt Ruchti hasn't seen from his keeper before.

"She was the keeper of the league last year and she's picking up from where she left off," said Matt Ruchti, who was understandably more pleased with the tie. "Obviously I'd like a win, but it's tough to get a result under the lights up here (War Memorial)."

Sandpoint's brutally tough stretch of soccer continues on Friday, when they travel to Mead to take on their third, and arguably toughest, GSL opponent this year.

First half - 1, Spt, Bailey Hewitt (Annie Vogel), 7:20. 2, LC, Haley Spivey (unassisted), 29:12. Second half - None. Shots on goal - LC 4, Spt 17. Saves - LC, Shannon Fraser 12; Spt, Kelsey Windju 4.