Girls soccer returns with shutout victory over Moscow

SANDPOINT — In its long awaited return to action, Sandpoint girls soccer didn't disappoint taking down Moscow 2-0 in an Inland Empire League match Thursday at War Memorial Field.

It had been a while since we last saw the Bulldogs on the pitch. A game at Lewiston and a match at home against Post Falls were postponed due to poor air quality giving the Bulldogs a two week break from playing.

Head coach Conor Baranski said his team was a bit rusty, but that was expected.

"There's a few times where there should have been an easy pass connected or a touch taken that took somebody out of bounds," he said, "but that's also them adjusting to the turf still."

Due to the smoke, Sandpoint practiced indoors during the two week break. Baranski said he kept his players motivated by switching up the setting, but he admitted it's hard to have a gap like that in the middle of the season.

"We practiced in the gym one day, we practiced in the mezzanine one day, we did the weight room one day and we watched film one day, so just trying to mix it up and keep them engaged, but they all wanted to play," he said. "It's a little bit of a hiccup where they are probably going to lose a bit of touch and a little bit of fluidity."

The Bulldogs didn't show much rust early in Thursday's match. In the 12th minute, Aspen Larson fed a perfect pass to Jordie Breeden who pulled out a spin move on a Moscow defender before burying a shot to give Sandpoint a 1-0 lead.

The Bulldogs dominated possession in the first half, but were only able to convert the one goal.

The second half saw Moscow (1-2, 1-1 IEL) pick up their play and challenge the Bulldogs' defense every so often. But once again, Sandpoint had an onslaught of dangerous scoring chances.

In the 49th minute, a shot inside the box by Kimberly Yarnell was partially blocked by the Bears. Luckily, Piper Frank was right in front of the net to receive the deflected shot and tally Sandpoint's second goal of the evening.

Kelsey Cessna, Larson, Breeden and Frank all had opportunities to score for Sandpoint down the stretch, but they couldn't break through.

Baranski said the Moscow defense was very organized and made it difficult for the Bulldogs to create open space.

"They make it hard, so with that I think we did OK on attack," he said. "We got a lot of chances and we should have scored a few more, but I was pretty pleased."

The Bears doubled their shots in the second half but, like always, Hattie Larson stood tall in net to secure the shutout.

Following the win, Sandpoint ran over to the Victory Bell and scrambled to figure out how to ring it. Eventually, they were able to do it. This is believed to be the first time the historic bell has been rung by a team other than football.

Sandpoint outshot Moscow 20-6.

The Bulldogs (4-2, 2-0 IEL) host Lewiston noon Saturday at Pine Street Field.

First half — 1, Sandpoint, Jordie Breeden (Aspen Larson), 12:00. Second half — 2, Sandpoint, Piper Frank (Kimberly Yarnell), 49:00.

Shots — Sandpoint 20, Moscow 6.

Saves — Sandpoint, Hattie Larson, 4. Moscow, Chloe Baker, 8.