Striker teams shine at Pend Oreille Cup

U10 Striker boys claim title

The U10 Striker boys are off to a great start this season, going undefeated and winning the Pend Oreille Cup.

The team beat the Coeur d’Alene Sting 4-1 in the first game, with lots of hustle from midfielders Tyler Moore, Bruin Jones and Aiden Feuer, and great defense by Summit Currey, Keaton Hansen and Tanner Kohal.

The team beat the other U10 Striker boys in the second game with help from forwards Luke Koch, Julian Reichold, Kristopher Hertel each putting balls in the back of the net. The team beat the Idaho Thunder 3-2 in the third game, with awesome saves by Hyrum Hunsaker and great defense from Kohal, Summit Currey and Deaton Hansen. Goals were scored by Feuer, Zion Reichold, Koch, Kohal and Julian Reichold.

The team beat the Sting 6-3 in the final game, with great hustle by Moore, Jones, Feuer and Matthew Montalvo.

n U11 Boys Red team wins Pend Oreille Cup

In its first tournament as a team the U11B Strikers RED took the Pend Oreille Cup, beating the Post Falls Thunder 3-0 in the finals. The team won all four games (10-0 vs. Academy, 6-2 vs. CdA Sting, 9-0 vs. Kootenay, and 3-0 v. Post Falls), a testament to the teams’ strong defensive efforts, led by goal keeper Andre Kemink, and defenders Koen Conner, Owen Stebbins, Scout Nash and Andrew Greiff. The young team put together impressive passing combinations that led to a host of Striker goals from Scout Nash, Charlie Crane, Andre Kemink, Carson Andrick, Kaden Hitchcock, Spencer Thompson, Koen Conner, Landin Filippini, and Damian Fitzpatrick. Assists from Jack Griesemer and Tristan Miller were great examples of the teamwork displayed by the team which led to the Strikers offense outscoring its opponents 28-2. Congratulations Strikers RED on winning your first tournament!

n U11 Boys Black team

The U11B Black team had an excellent start to the season at the Pend Oreille Cup. Incorporating six new players this season, the team hardly missed a beat. Newcomers Dylan Dufenhorst, Nick Griffin and Finn Treadaway all had an immediate impact for their team. New goal keepers Michael Morrison and Kaden Hayes both played quite well in their opening debut. Brennan Powell provided some electric play with his excellent work rate. Riley Ward was “man of the tournament.” Patrick Rockwell found the back of the net four times. Jack Rinck contributed with two assists and a goal. Ben Schwartz and Amos Crossingham were rock solid in defense. Gabriel Herrera had some brilliant attacking runs. Reid Golphenee stepped up with some nice defense and solid passing. The team had great shape and had periods where the possession game was fantastic.

n U13/14 Striker boys

Stellar defending appears to once again be the backbone of the U13 Striker Boys. Ben Leas, Jared Cooper and T.J. Kennedy (all selected as Men of the Match) alternated at the stopper/sweeper positions and worked with keeper Cooper Spalding, limiting their opponents to only four goals during the course of the Pend Oreille Cup.

Meanwhile, Tanner McNelley and Tyler Meyer alternated between outside defender and center midfield with both boys having multiple runs up-field and creating numerous scoring opportunities for forwards Brett Hutchens and Stefan Lesniewski, with Hutchens scoring. Outside defenders Evan Darley and Cole Golphenee demonstrated their wheels, chasing down attackers and transitioning the field of play while Paul Meyer schooled his opponents in head-on tackling on the other side of the field.

Skyler Speakman scored his first Striker goal as an outside midfielder and Christopher Cordova (on the other side of the field) marked and tackled with a newfound tenacity. Mark White, Collin Lawrence and Brandon Heitstuman subbed into the outside mid and striker positions, giving the U13’s speedy options. They travel to Moscow on Sept. 26 for their next game.

n Strikers U10 girls

The Strikers U10 girls took to the field at the Pend Oreille Cup Tournament playing together for the first time as a team. Their first game was against the Coeur d’Alene Sting and the girls were challenged during the first half and went to the sidelines at half-time with seven goals scored against them. They rallied in the second half with enthusiasm and determination and scored one goal on Sting. The defense kept the opponents at bay allowing only one goal to be scored in the second half. The girls continued to improve and come together as a team and in their second game they shut out the Kootenay Rovers 6-0 and the winning didn’t stop. On Sunday, the girls took on the Lakeland Nighthawks and won that game as well. They came in second in their pool. This young team is showing a lot of promise and is one you’ll want to watch.

n U14 Striker girls

The Strikers U14 Girls brought home silver at the Pend Oreille Cup. Saturday included wins over Cranbrook’s Kootenai Rovers and Coeur d’Alene Sting. Sunday’s results were a narrow loss to the Newport Avalanche, but they still progressed to the final, where a loss to the Missoula Strikers resulted in a silver medal finish.

n North Idaho Avalanche U13 girls

The North Idaho Avalanche U13 girls finished the Pend Oreille Cup Soccer Tournament tied for third. The Avalanche girls won their pool by tying the Missoula Strikers 2-2, defeating the Sandpoint Strikers 9-0 and defeating the Boise Rush 4-2. In the semifinals the Avalanche fell to the Spokane Breakers 5-1 in a very physical game. The Avalanche played very hard but succumbed to injuries with three players unable to finish the game. The Avalanche finished the semifinal game with the Breakers with only 10 players on the field.

Leading the Avalanche during the tournament were Kaylee Kiebert with three goals and two assists, Kennedy Kindred with three goals, Nan Kiebert with three goals and an assist, Caroline Suppiger with two goals and four assists, Hedi Skinner with two goals and an assist, Corinne Ariss with two goals, Biffy Shuster with a goal and assist, and Cia Hanford with a goal. Kira Clawson, Emily Marshall and Kate Lewis anchored the defensive wall. Brighton Miller, and Aislynn Robertson supported their team’s runs as forwards. The Avalanche is participating in the Northwest soccer league and looking forward to league play starting this week.

A Kick in the Grass is a coach-submitted column capturing the youth soccer scene in Sandpoint, and runs every Thursday during soccer season in the Daily Bee.