Resilient Bulldogs prevail in shootout with Post Falls

SANDPOINT — There was no shortage of goals Tuesday at War Memorial Field.

Between Post Falls and Sandpoint 10 goals were scored and fortunately the Bulldogs’ boys soccer team came out on the winning end of the shootout, claiming a 6-4 victory.

Sandpoint head coach Tanner French said the team put it all together.

“For the boys, it’s massive,” he said. “I think tonight they finally found that switch.”

The game was tied at 4-4 with five minutes left when the Bulldogs earned a corner kick. Sophomore Randy Lane took the kick and played a perfect ball into the center of the box and junior Evan Darling headed it in to give Sandpoint its third lead of the game. Four minutes later, Darling sealed the deal when freshman Jett Longanecker played a ball over a Post Falls defender and found Darling. He scorched the ball past the Trojans defender to secure the Inland Empire League win.

“I’m proud of the work that they put in and I’m extremely happy,” French said. “There’s not too many negatives from tonight.”

In the opening minutes of the match, it looked like the game was going to go a lot differently for Sandpoint. Just over a minute into the contest, Post Falls forward Logan Koller broke through the Sandpoint defense and fired a shot past goalkeeper Roman Jiles. About two minutes later, Koller struck again to put the Trojans up 2-0 four minutes into the game.

But the Bulldogs settled in after that and in the 15th minute Canyon Nash found Nolan Angell who pulled Sandpoint within one goal of the Trojans with a strike over the head of the goalkeeper. The nerves were gone and the Bulldogs were on the attack forcing Post Falls into mistakes. In the 19th minute, that pressure payed off when senior captain Chris Koch stole a pass and buried a shot in the back of the net to tie the game at 2-2.

The score remained the same at the half. SHS outshot Post Falls 8-6 in the opening 40 minutes.

Senior Zander Moore broke the ice in the second half. Moore was taken down in the box in the 51st minute. He stepped up and hit the ball in the bottom right corner to convert the penalty kick and give the Bulldogs their first lead of the match. Sandpoint wouldn’t keep the advantage for long though as the Trojans scored six minutes later to tie the contest at 3-3.

Moore responded in the 66th minute when he curled in a free kick a few yards outside the box. The shot was placed perfectly in the far right corner. The Post Falls goalie had no chance.

“I couldn’t let a senior captain lose after hitting a free kick like that,” French said about Moore’s tally. “That was a beauty.”

The back-and-forth affair continued when Koller notched a hat trick to even the score once again. But Darling’s pair of goals in the closing minutes pushed the Bulldogs to glory and helped them grab their first win this season.

French said he’s on the same page with Moore and he’s happy the striker found his groove Tuesday.

“I think he is understanding his role in my coaching tactics,” he said. “Today was just a great indicator of how far he’s come from last year.”

French said he’s been preaching gamesmanship to his players since he took over the program last year and he saw it in action during the closing moments of Tuesday’s game.

“To see them literally punish Post Falls with two goals was just monumental,” he said. “I haven’t jumped that high in a long time.”

Sandpoint outshot Post Falls 18-17 and Jiles made 12 saves.

“I thought Roman really stepped up his game and turned his attitude around after giving up two goals in the first four minutes,” French said about his goalkeeper.

The Bulldogs (1-1, 1-0 IEL) head to Lake City at 4 p.m. Thursday.

First half — 1, PF, Logan Koller (Caleb Calkins), 2:00. 2, PF, Koller (unassisted), 4:00. 1, Sandpoint, Nolan Angell (Canyon Nash), 15:00. 2, Sandpoint, Chris Koch (unassisted), 19:00. Second half — 3, Sandpoint, Zander Moore, PK, 51:00. 3, PF, Aidan O’Halloran (unassisted), 57:00. 4, Sandpoint, Moore, free kick, 66:00. 4, PF, Koller (unassisted), 68:00. 5, Sandpoint, Evan Darling (Randy Lane), 75:00. 6, Sandpoint, Darling (Jett Longanecker), 79:00.

Shots on goal — Sandpoint 18, PF 17.

Saves — Sandpoint, Roman Jiles 12; PF, Joshua Nilson, 7.