Bulldogs lose heartbreaker to Bears in championship

SANDPOINT — As momentum swings go, it’s tough to imagine one more drastic than what occurred in a five minute span midway through the second half in the 4A Region 1 boys soccer championship Wednesday afternoon at War Memorial Field.

What appeared briefly to look like a sure win for Sandpoint quickly turned into a climactic 3-2 win for Moscow, which won 4-3 in the shootout round to end the defending 4A state champion Bulldogs’ season in heartbreaking fashion.

Freshman Joab Logan got the Bulldogs on the board first, with a nifty backward header into the corner of the net in the 17th minute, the only goal of the first half.

Clinging to a 1-0 lead in the 63rd minute, Sandpoint’s Gerhart Suppiger headed a beautiful feed ahead to teammate Tanner Willams, who shook a defender and put a laser into the back of the net to give the Bulldogs (10-6-1) a seemingly safe 2-0 lead.

Before the insurance goal could even sink in however, Moscow (10-8-1) forward Kyle Peterson answered with a goal not 30 seconds later to make it 2-1. Three minutes after that Kaden McGreevy would score the equalizer after a defensive breakdown in the back third, tying the game at 2-2 as both teams seemed to be in shock for completely different reasons.

“Moscow played us tough and never quit,” said disappointed Sandpoint head coach Adam Tajan after the game. “We gave up momentum after the second goal, and when that happens, it’s anybody’s game.”

After 10 minutes of scoreless overtime, the teams went to a penalty kick shootout to determine the winner. Williams and Peterson each made their first attempts. Ryan Schwartz slotted the next kick just inside the post, followed by Sandpoint goalie Kanyen Bauer making a diving stop on Moscow’s second attempt for the early advantage.

Shane Stanley then hit the crossbar in a tough bit of luck, before McGreevy barely got his shot past Bauer, who had guessed right and got a hands on the shot. Aaron Crossingham and Moscow’s Sebastian Mortimer each made their fourth attempts, which tied things up heading into the final attempts.

Sandpoint’s Jansen Rinck, who had dominated the midfield all game with aggressive play, had his shot blocked by Moscow goalie Tanner Jones, before Andrew Bender knocked in the final attempt for the decisive goal.

“That’s this team — a lot of heart and we believed to the end we could win,” said Moscow coach Abilio Monteiro, whose team relied on the long ball for its attack. “Sandpoint played fantastic, our guys just wanted it a little more.”

Lost in the outcome was the stellar goal keeping of Bauer, who made several highlight reel saves to keep the game close. He stopped a Moscow penalty kick in the first half, and made a high, leaping punch save on a ball that would have given Moscow the sudden death win in regulation.

“Kanyen was huge, he kept us in it,” said Tajan. “He forced the OT and the shootout. They (Moscow) were getting looks.”

Moscow will represent the 4A North at state, which begins next Thursday.

First half — 1, Spt, Joab Logan (Jansen Rinck), 17:00.

Second half — 2, Spt, Tanner Williams (Gerhart Suppiger), 63:00. 3, Mos, Kyle Peterson (Kadin McGreevy), 63:30. 4, Mos, McGreevy (Peterson), 67:00.

Shots on goal — Mos 5, Spt 7.

Saves — Mos, Tanner Jones 5; Kanyen Bauer 5.