'When he's in a groove, no one can stop him'
SANDPOINT — It’s a safe bet that Sandpoint’s Randy Thoreson will be the only Inland Empire League boys soccer coach who will miss Daniel Anderson next year, and for good reason.
Anderson, a senior outside midfielder, has been a force to be reckoned with for opposing teams over the past four years. He was named the IEL newcomer of the year as a freshman, Offensive Player of the Year as a sophomore, Most Valuable Player as a junior, and if all that wasn’t enough, put together his best overall year as a senior.
Anderson will be Skyview’s problem on Thursday, when the Bulldogs begin their quest to repeat as 4A state champions. Along with fellow senior Adam Crossingham, Anderson will be gunning for his third state championship, having also won as a freshman and junior.
Possessing a nice mix of size, speed and athleticism, Anderson is a handful for opposing defenses. After scoring 17 goals as a junior, he’s followed it up with a team-high 15 this season, but he’s also mixed in a more deft passing touch while dishing out 11 assists, also a team high. The all around skill set makes him very dangerous in the bulldog attack, helping set up forwards Tanner Williams and Crossingham.
“Teams can key on him, but they can’t stop him,” said Thoreson, lauding his foot skills and ability to deliver the ball into dangerous areas. “He also brings a competitive spirit. He doesn’t ever quit and leaves it all on the field.”
Anderson has drawn the attention of a number of colleges, and has limited his choices to Division II Cal State Stanislaus, and NAIA power Azuza Pacific, both of which have offered him a soccer scholarship.
“I wanted to go to school in California. There’s really good soccer and lots of sunshine,” he said with a chuckle, adding what he loves most about soccer. “Your hard work pays off in the long run; you can’t slack off and be good.”
Right now college soccer is a distant afterthought, as the Bulldogs (13-2-2) are gunning to defend their state title. Receiving their seemingly annual lack of seeding respect come state time, they drew Skyview (17-1-0) in the first round, one of the top teams from Southern Idaho. They could also face a another beast in Jerome (19-1), one of the top teams in the state.
Anderson believes if the Bulldogs play like they did in dispatching Moscow in the district championship, employing their high-pressure brand of soccer, there is no reason they can’t take care of business like they have in the past. The senior co-captain will no doubt figure heavily in the final outcome.
“When he gets in a groove, no one can stop him,” said fellow midfielder and senior Zac Linscott of Anderson. “Something in him clicks, and when he does that, nobody can stop him.”
When he’s not finding the back of the net, Anderson loves to play video games, admitting he’d be a “video game nerd if it weren’t for soccer.” He also is a bit of a prankster, helping keep things loose on a team boasting some nice unity for the past couple of seasons.
Win or lose at state, Anderson can’t wait to swap his shin guards for shoulder pads and a helmet. He and Crossingham have shared the kicking duties for the Bulldog football team this year, with a high degree of success, and hope the football season goes on long after soccer is finished.
Having already won a bevy of individual accolades and a couple state championships, Anderson is mostly focused on savoring his final trip to state.
“You start to realize it will all be over soon,” he said, noting the individual honors don’t mean as much anymore. “They meant a lot at the time, but now that I’ve got that out of the way, I just want to see the young team come together.”
Sandpoint plays Skyview at 1 p.m. on Thursday, at Brothers Park in Caldwell.