3rd time not the charm for Hawks
<p>SHAWN GUST/Press Sandpoint High School's Jeremiah Gagnon is lifted into air during a team celebration Wednesday after beating top seeded Lakeland in the 4A Region 1 boys soccer championship game in Rathdrum.</p>
<p>SHAWN GUST/Press Lakeland's Tanner Beadles attempts a shot on goal with a header in the second half as Sandpoint's Zach Couch goes for the block.</p>
RATHDRUM - After being upset the previous two years in the 4A Region 1 boys soccer tournament, it was the Sandpoint Bulldogs' turn to play an unfamiliar role.
The underdogs.
Jeremiah Gagnon scored two first-half goals and Anthony Fox added another two minutes into the second half as the second-seeded Sandpoint Bulldogs upset the top-seeded Lakeland Hawks 3-2 in the 4A Region 1 championship match Wednesday at Corbit Field.
"We knew it was going to be a big game," Gagnon said. "We came into it focused and had a little slip-up in the first half and they scored, but we kept fighting throughout the game and found a way to win."
Sandpoint (11-5-1) advances to the state 4A tournament starting next Thursday in Idaho Falls.
Lakeland finishes 9-7-1.
As top seed the previous two years, Sandpoint had lost in a pair of title games - to Moscow on penalty kicks and then to Lakeland the follwing season. Lakeland had beaten Sandpoint twice this season, both by one goal.
"It's not easy being on the road," Sandpoint coach Adam Tajan said. "I feel like we played well in the first two matchups, but had a hard time finishing our opportunities. In this one, it was just we came into this a little nervous, but had to bury our chances. Today - we played until the final whistle and finished our chances."
Lakeland opened the scoring on a goal by Colton Grytness in the ninth minute and Tanner Beadles tied the match at 2-2 for Lakeland in the 38th minute.
"It was a tough match," first-year Lakeland coach Andrew Craig said. "I thought we played really, really well in the first half. In the second half, we came out flat and couldn't find the energy to keep up with Sandpoint for the whole 40 minutes - and that was the tough part of this one."
Lakeland had won three straight, including wins over Sandpoint and Moscow to conclude league play 4-0.
"There was definitely a lot of nerves going into the match," Craig said. "We're a young team, so high expectations and living up to them was tough. It was a tough game for how much pressure was on us. Both teams came out and it was a good game in the first half. The second half, the team that played harder won."
Grytness, who returned from a torn meniscus to play in the team's 2-1 win over Moscow last Thursday.
"It's been rough," Grytness said. "The team has come a long way. We've improved through the season, but things didn't end the way we wanted to. It's not a fun way to end, but we played hard. But they (Sandpoint) outplayed us. They beat us and it was a clean game. We've came so far the last four years. We never thought of going to state in our freshman year, and to get to host a district game, it was pretty cool."
First half - 1, LL, Colton Grytness (unassisted), 9:00. 2, Spt, Jeremiah Gagnon (unassisted), 20:00. 3, Spt, Gagnon (Anthony Fox), 23:00. 4, LL, Tanner Beadles (unassisted), 38:00. Second half - 5, Spt, Fox (unassisted), 42:00.
Shots on goal - Spt 8, LL 5.
Saves - Spt, Austin Keyes 3; LL, Cade Coffey 5.