State champion Bulldogs land six on all-league soccer team
SANDPOINT — Befitting a state championship team, Sandpoint had ample representation on the 4A Inland Empire League soccer team, as voted on recently by the leagues coaches.
Senior Corinne Ariss, who finished with three goals and four assists on the season, was named Most Valuable Player based mostly on her ability to control games from the defensive end.
Madi Schoening, whose size, speed and ability in the air made her a known presence.
Also earning league honors were Nan Kiebert, who led the Bulldogs with five goals and four assists, Riley Couch, who posted four goals and three assists, Heidi Skinner and Ashley Busch.
Sandpoint head coach Conor Baranski on what each player did to earn a spot on the all-league team.
• Corinne Ariss: — “As a senior captain of a defensive line that has been so dominant in the last couple seasons, she clearly deserves this MVP nod. But, beyond her defensive contributions, she is a huge part of our attack as well. Her awareness of where and when to be in dangerous areas is unparalleled by any player I’ve coached at the high school level. Her goal in the state final was indicative of a senior, a captain, and of course, an MVP.”
• Madi Schoening: “I was so impressed with her presence as a center back this year. She commands the field, wherever she happens to be, and was obviously a huge part of our success this year. What Madi lacks in technical ability, she more than makes up for with strength, tenacity, and grit. I would be shocked if there wasn’t a large contingency of players we’ve played against that don’t fear the next time they have to go against Madi.”
• Heidi Skinner: “There’s no coincidence that three of the four of our defensive line made up this all-league voting. What Heidi did this year is made more impressive when you know that she’s been a forward for the first three years of her high school career. I needed leadership and discipline in the backline, so Heidi was an obvious choice. She immediately brought a calm to our defense that wasn’t there before she stepped in. She’s so coachable, and was huge to our success because of it.”
• Ashly Busch: “I was so sad that Ashly didn’t play last year, but that fact makes it even more impressive that she stepped up and made all-league this year. Ashly sees things on the field that many players don’t, and uses that ability to link passes on attack and plug up holes on defense. Not only does she have brains, but she’s tough as nails.”
• Riley Couch: “Riley was the best player on the field in some of our games. There were times where she was doing the work of two players because she was in so many places at once. Her work ethic is impressive, and her services into the box from free kicks and corners were perfect all year. We scored most of our goals from dead ball situations, and that is credit to Riley. I foresee her getting even better for next year.”
• Nan Kiebert: “Nan is as competitive a person as you’re likely to meet. Like Riley, she often does the work of multiple players on the field. We play Nan as a withdrawn forward, and give her the freedom to go where she needs to go, which is a huge compliment to her work rate. Nan was really frustrated with herself for parts of this season, which was unnecessary. But, she finished with three goals in the state tournament and was absolutely one of the players of the tournament. That’s probably why she drew the attention of a number of college coaches.”
Girls 4A IEL soccer team
MVP — Corinne Ariss, sr., Sandpoint
Offensive Player of the Year — Joelle Stephens, sr., Moscow
Defensive Player of the Year — Madi Schoening, jr., Sandpoint
Goalkeeper of the Year — Danica Davis, sr., Moscow
Newcomer of the Year — Kathleen Olson, sr., Lakeland
Coach of the Year — Mario Maddy, Lakeland
SANDPOINT — Ashly Busch, jr., Heidi Skinner, sr., Nan Kiebert, jr., Riley Couch, jr. MOSCOW — Emma Prall, jr., Georgia Filler, sr., Lura Morton, sr. LAKELAND — Darby Dowd, so., Harley Hendry, so., Melodee Skalskiy, so.