Bulldogs claim state soccer championship
IDAHO FALLS — Two years of frustration were put to rest Saturday when the Sandpoint Bulldogs returned to their rightful place atop the 4A boys high school soccer mountain.
Following back-to-back seasons on the outside of the state tournament bracket, Sandpoint outlasted Skyview of Nampa 3-2 at the Idaho Falls Soccer Complex to claim the 2012 state championship Saturday.
Sandpoint has now won eight of the 13 boys state championships since the sport was sanctioned in 2000.
“We had some weird things happen at districts the last two years and didn’t make it to this tournament,” Sandpoint coach Adam Tajan said. “This group always felt they could compete at the state tournament, and once they got here, they just believed from the get go.”
Junior forward Jeremiah Gagnon scored one goal in each half for the Bulldogs (14-5-2), including the eventual game winner on a direct free kick in the 69th minute.
Gagnon also opened the scoring in the 11th minute when he put the ball home on a corner kick delivered by teammate Anthony Fox.
“It’s the state championship so you kind of have to go all out,” Gagnon said. “It was our last 80 minutes of the season either way, and now we get to go on an 8-hour bus ride back home, partying the whole way.”
The other Sandpoint score came on a Skyview own goal when Hawks senior Carlos Lopez redirected Jeffrey Rokstad’s direct free kick past his keeper on a failed clear attempt in the 31st minute.
The match got off to a slow start as both teams worked to adjust to a 25 mph crosswind. Playing with the wind at its back, Sandpoint dominated first-half possession, setting up Fox’s corner kick assist and the Bulldogs’ first goal.
“From the very get-go we wanted to keep the ball on the ground,” Tajan said. “Its not our game to send long balls, so the wind wasn’t a significant issue.”
Sandpoint continued to control possession for the first 30 minutes of the first half, limiting Skyview to counterpunch attempts on through balls.
The Bulldogs outshot the Hawks 7-4, but Skyview got on the board on its first shot on goal when Robert Corral found Cesar Sosa in the 16th minute on a cross in the Sandpoint penalty area.
Rokstad set up the own goal by powering his free kick low and hard into the Skyview penalty box from 40 yards straight away. Lopez attempted to clear the ball with a header, but the ball glanced of the left side of his forehead and past keeper Jacob Nitu.
There were 49 minutes remaining on the match clock, and Skyview (18-2-2) came back swinging.
“Sometimes the boys will hang their heads but they didn’t do that and I’m proud of them,” Skyview coach Shawn Pelton said. “When you’re down a goal and you have no more games to play and 10 seniors on the team, you have nothing to lose. I told the guys at halftime they needed to be crawling off this field at the end. It showed.”
Skyview scored the equalizer in the 61st minute on a penalty kick set up by a Sandpoint hand ball in the penalty box.
Intensity reached a peak over the final 20 minutes, both on the field and on the sidelines.
Gagnon’s second goal came on a direct free kick from 30 yards out on a shot that richocheted off the Skyview wall and into the corner of the net.
“It just so happened that we were able to capitalize on some of those free kick services,” said Tajan, who coached the Sandpoint girls to four state titles in nine seasons before taking over the boys program in 2010. “Skyview played hard and kept coming at us right until the end. We played the full 80 today.”
First half — 1, Spt, Jeremiah Gagnon (Anthony Fox), 11:00. 2, Sky, Cesar Sosa (Robert Corral), 16:00. 3, Spt, own goal, 31:00. Second half — 4, Sky, Kevin Field (PK). 61:00. 5, Spt, Gagnon, 69:00.
Shots on goal — Sky 8, Spt 12.
Saves — Sky, Jacob Nitu 9; Spt, Austin Keyes 6.