Ball bounces right for Sting U18 boys en route to title

Thanks to a little bit of help from the "soccer gods," the Coeur d'Alene Sting under-18 boys soccer team beat the Boise Capitals 4-3 on Monday in the championship game of the Idaho State Cup tournament in Boise.

The win qualified the Sting for the US Youth Soccer Far West Regionals in Albuquerque, N.M., June 21-27.

The Sting opened the state tournament with a 2-2 tie against the Pocatello Valley Soccer Club. Tanner Williams, one of five players from Sandpoint High, scored the first goal on an assist from David Sanchez. Daniel Anderson scored next to take a 2-0 lead into the half. Pocatello scored twice in the second half to earn the tie.

The Sting then lost 1-0 to the Boise Capitals on an early goal.

The third game was against FC Athletico from Idaho Falls in a game that was to decide who would go to the finals. David Sanchez scored early on an assist from Tanner Williams, but Idaho Falls equaled the score just before half. In the second half, Daniel Anderson scored on an assist from Tanner Williams, and then Williams added an unassisted goal to finish off the Sting's 3-1 win.

In the championship game, a rematch against the Boise Capitals, Zac Linscott scored two early goals, both on assists from Tanner Williams, to give the Sting a 2-0 halftime lead.

Early in the second half, Casey Shellman was fouled by a Boise Capital midfielder and went down with a badly broken leg. The game was moved to a new field, as Casey received medical attention on the field.

After the restart, an hour later, the Capitals scored quickly, but that was countered by a Daniel Anderson goal off an assist from Nico Sanchez to make it 3-1.

The Capitals came back to score two goals to tie the match.

This is when the "soccer gods" stepped in. With about two minutes left in the match, Chris Wheelock kicked a clearing ball out of the back long and deep. The Boise Capitals goalkeeper misjudged the bounce and the ball carried over his head and into the net for an eventual State Cup-winning goal from about 70 yards out. Minutes later the whistle sounded.