PR girls soccer gets revenge, advances to district semis
Freshman Lucy Bowen tracks down the ball and looks to push upfield during a match against Bonners Ferry on Sept. 28 at PRLHS. Bowen scored two goals in Monday's district win over Grangeville.
(File photo by DYLAN GREENE)
POST FALLS — Priest River girls soccer flipped the script on Grangeville in the first round of the 3A District 1-2 tournament.
In a pair of regular season matches, the Bulldogs outscored the Spartans 11-2. But on Monday at The Fields at Real Life Ministries, No. 5 seed Priest River got so much needed revenge, downing No. 4 seed Grangeville 2-1 to advance to the district semifinals.
Just two days prior, the Spartans fell 7-1 at Grangeville to wrap up regular season play.
"The whole team played top performances tonight," head coach Rob Lawler wrote in email after Monday's victory, "keeping the Bulldogs to a nominal number of shots on goal."
The two teams remained scoreless at the half, setting up a 40-minute battle to keep their seasons alive. Early in the second half, Priest River broke through for the first goal of the match when freshman Lucy Bowen scored off a pass from sophomore Marley Burgess-Duquette.
But just a few moments later, Grangeville found the back of the net to tie the game at 1-1.
Lawler said the Spartans were determined not to allow the match to go into overtime, and that drive paid off. With about 10 minutes left, Burgess-Duquette connected with Bowen again and she buried her second goal of the day.
Lawler said his team played solid defense down the stretch to close out the victory.
This was only Priest River's second win over an Intermountain League team this season.
The Spartans (4-12-1) will now face No. 1 seed Coeur d'Alene Charter (14-1), the five-time defending 3A state champions, in the district semifinals at 4 p.m. Friday at The Fields. The winner qualifies for state and earns a spot in the district final at 4 p.m. Saturday.