Bishop Kelly slips past SHS 2-1 at state, Bulldogs' season comes to a close
Senior midfielder Chris Koch brings the ball upfield during the 4A state consolation match against Bishop Kelly on Friday.
(Photo courtesy of ANN DICKINSON)
Sophomore defender Evan Dickinson looks to kick the ball past a Bishop Kelly defender on Friday.
(Photo courtesy of ANN DICKINSON)
Senior defender Kris Berget kicks the ball during Friday's state match.
(Photo courtesy of ANN DICKINSON)
Senior forward Zander Moore challenges a Bishop Kelly player for possession of the ball during Friday's match.
(Photo courtesy of ANN DICKINSON)
IDAHO FALLS — The Sandpoint boys soccer team saw its season come to a close Friday morning with a 2-1 loss to Bishop Kelly in a 4A state consolation match at Bonneville High School.
The Bulldogs lost to Canyon Ridge 2-0 in a state quarterfinal on Thursday. The loss to Bishop Kelly ended Sandpoint's state trip and the team finishes with an 0-2 mark at the tournament.
In the match with the Knights, the Bulldogs opened the scoring in the 38th minute when a free kick by freshman Jett Longanecker found the head of junior Evan Darling. SHS took the 1-0 lead into halftime.
French said Bishop Kelly broke through on a defensive error by the Bulldogs in the 58th minute to even the score at 1-1.
About seven minutes later, the Knights were given a free kick and they cashed in on the opportunity to take their first lead of the match.
Down the stretch, French switched his formation to a 3-5-2 to try and generate more attack, but the Bulldogs couldn't capitalize on their chances.
"We possessed a lot of the game which I was happy with," French said. "We just couldn't find the final ball during the run of ball."
French said it was difficult to fight back after that second goal by BK, but he felt his team had a great shot to keep their state journey alive.
"It was just one of those games that came down to who wanted it more," he said, "and there's a reason I'm a fitness-oriented coach because I know that these tournament games come down to the wire, and it's just a matter of who demands more of themselves and as a unit."
The Bulldogs finish the season with a 5-6-3 record. French had state title aspirations for his team, but he was proud the Bulldogs were able to find their way back to state after a two-year absence.
French believes his team gained a lot from this experience.
"I think they learned how to be a consistent team," he said. "Obviously, coming off an emotionally high district win, they were a completely different team and I think they understood that they need to bring it day in and day out whether that's training or looking toward the next match. It's a mentality that is slowly changing and I think the underclassmen are beginning to understand that and this is just one piece to the puzzle in rebuilding a program."
Five varsity players will graduate for the Bulldogs, but the squad has plenty of talent returning next season, including four sophomores and a freshman who started this fall.
French said the future is bright for Sandpoint soccer and he expects his players to continue to push themselves during the offseason.
"This is the experience they needed to understand how to step up in big games," he said. "The offseason is extremely important. It's a time to truly identify what characteristics and attributes need to be worked on, it's as simple as that."
