Anderson leads Bulldogs into finals

CALDWELL — One Sandpoint supporter walked off the field Friday afternoon in disbelief of the Bulldogs’ good fortune in the Class 4A boys state soccer tournament.

“We’ve used up all nine of our lives now,” he said.

But all that matters now is that the Bulldogs are still alive and will play for the state title today after grinding out a 3-2 victory over Hillcrest Friday afternoon in the semifinals.

Sandpoint’s appearance in the state tournament has been full of drama. After a thrilling 5-4 victory over Skyview, the Bulldogs had their hands full with Hillcrest, not to mention overcoming a letdown after an exhausting win.

“We came out flat to start the game, but we eventually found a way to get it done,” Sandpoint coach Randy Thorson said. “We’ve got some tired boys now, but we made it and that’s the most important thing.”

In the 21st minute, Sandpoint earned a penalty kick, which Daniel Anderson calmly converted to give the Bulldogs (15-2-2) the early 1-0 lead.

“I’m always a little nervous before these games,” Anderson said. “But being nervous makes me play better.”

Hillcrest (10-8-2) drew even at 1-1 in the 36th minute on a goal by Mike Obray — but it was a short-lived tie.

Seconds before time ran out in the first half, Adam Crossingham dribbled almost the length of the field through a wave of Hillcrest defenders before a tidy finish gave Sandpoint a 2-1 halftime lead. It was Crossingham’s third goal of the state tournament.

However, the lead evaporated almost as quickly as it appeared when Riley Salmon converted a penalty kick opportunity for Hillcrest to knot the score at 2-2 in the 41st minute.

Then in the 50th minute, Anderson struck again with a goal to put the Bulldogs up 3-2. And then Sandpoint held on for dear life.

Hillcrest mounted a frantic pressure-filled attack, but to no avail as the Sandpoint defense turned back every advance to secure the win and advance to the finals.

“Things are going our way so far,” Anderson said. “We’re not playing our best soccer and still winning. So, we’re hoping that we put it all together in the finals.”

Sandpoint will face Bonneville for the state title Saturday at 2 p.m. in Caldwell. Bonneville upended tournament favorite Jerome in the first round before escaping past Century with a 2-1 overtime victory in the semifinals Friday.

But Thorson is confident his team will be up for the final test of the season.

“When you get to this point, you’ve got to play your heart out and hope for the best,” Thorson said. “We’ve been here before, but we’ll be nervous like anybody else. I know this would mean a lot to the kids and we’re going to do our best to bring it home.”