Bulldogs top Lake City 2-1 in first game on artificial turf

SANDPOINT — It was a historic evening at War Memorial Field on Friday. The first competitive game was played on the new artificial turf. Even better, the Bulldogs won.

Sandpoint girls soccer opened the season with a 2-1 nonleague victory over Lake City. In a game that featured water breaks midway through each half, plenty of fatigue and injuries on both sides, the Bulldogs got a gritty win.

Last season, the Timberwolves topped Sandpoint 3-0 and 2-0 in a pair of matches. The Bulldogs finally got their revenge and head coach Conor Baranski couldn’t have been happier.

“I am ecstatic,” he said. “I think I’m the most excited of anyone in our squad right now, probably just because I know the history. Lake City is one of the best programs in the state every year, no question.”

It wasn’t pretty and it wasn’t clean, but at the end of the day, a win is a win, Baranski said.

“They probably had a few more chances than us but that’s what you get when you have Hattie Larson in goal,” he said.

Speaking of Hattie Larson, the senior goalkeeper set the tone early on for Sandpoint. Larson fended off a pair of quality scoring chances by the Timberwolves in the opening minutes of the match. Had one of those found the back of the net, Baranski said it could’ve been a completely different game.

Lake City dominated possession in the first half but the Bulldogs took advantage of the few opportunities they got in the opening 40 minutes. In the 19th minute, senior Jordie Breeden played a perfect ball into the box that found junior Kylie Williams. From there, Williams did the rest burying a shot to give Sandpoint a 1-0 lead.

Five minutes later, the Timberwolves responded when Lake City defender Georgia Whitehead stole a pass in the midfield and dribbled all the way to the front of the Sandpoint net. She then sent a ball past the outstretched arm of Larson to tie the game at 1-1.

The score remained the same until three minutes into the second half. Outside the box, Breeden slipped a pass through the Lake City defense to senior Aspen Larson. The winger then attacked the net and scored to put the Bulldogs back on top, 2-1.

Breeden had a few scoring chances on a free kick and a chip shot that went over the net, otherwise, the Bulldogs spent the rest of the game fending off the Timberwolves. And Sandpoint did just that to grab the first win on the new War Memorial Field.

Three freshmen — Aliya Strock, Hannah Harvey and Charlie Morgan — saw plenty of playing time for the Bulldogs due to fatigue, injuries and a reduced roster size. They held their own and Baranski said by the end of the game he only had 12 healthy players.

“I would have subbed more but I just didn’t have the players at the end,” he said.

Lake City outshot Sandpoint 23-10 in the game and Larson made 17 saves.

“We could work on everything and we will, but that’s a great starting point,” Baranski said about the team’s performance.

The Bulldogs (1-0) head to Post Falls on Tuesday. First kick is set for 4 p.m.

First half — 1, Sandpoint, Kylie Williams (Jordie Breeden), 19:00. 1, Lake City, Georgia Whitehead, 24:00. Second half — 2, Sandpoint, Aspen Larson (Jordie Breeden), 43:00.

Shots on goal — Sandpoint 10, Lake City 23.

Saves — Sandpoint, Hattie Larson, 17. Lake City, Emily Ray, 2, Hailey Jo Parks, 1.