Sting teams sent packing

BERNALILLO, N.M. — The Coeur d’Alene Sting U-13 girls could not hold off the Mustang Mavericks on Wednesday, falling 4-0 in their pool play match at the US Youth Soccer Region IV Championship on Wednesday.

The Sting U13 entered Wednesday tied for second place and could have advanced if they held the Mavericks to two goals in Wednesday’s match.

In other action Wednesday, the Sting U18 boys fell to West Coast FC Premier of Southern California 4-2 to finish the tournament 0-3.

In the U13 match, the Sting battled to a 0-0 tie at halftime, despite losing Alissa Jolliff, Emily Runge, Sarah Lambert and Megan Lambert to injury in the first half.

“It’s hard to compete when you’re triaging injuries the entire first half,” Sting U13 coach Bob Walker said. “It’s tough to handle when you’re adjusting the roster and having players outside of their normal spots.”

Jolliff, who suffered a concussion in the first half of Tuesday’s game, played only the first 10 minutes in the first half, but returned in the second half. Runge suffered a knee injury 15 minutes into the first half, but also returned in the second.

“We were playing at a 6,000 foot elevation,” Walker said. “It’s tough to keep your conditioning when you’re used to playing at 2,000 feet. It was taking a big toll on their conditioning. You can’t adapt to 100 degree temperatures unless you practice in it.”

The Sting U13 finished the tournament 1-2.

“It was a good experience for the girls,” Walker said. “We’ve come to the point where they can compete against teams from Washington and Oregon. They know what they need to do now. This group will be back to regionals again. They are a good group of girls and willing to learn from their mistakes. It’s been wonderful coaching them. They played their hearts out.”

No report was received from the Sting U18 team.