Simpson's goal earns measure of revenge for Trojans

POST FALLS — The Post Falls Trojans only had to answer one question Saturday, in their 5A Inland Empire League girls soccer game against the visiting Lake City Timberwolves.

Would Post Falls let the defending state champions beat the Trojans on their own home turf, in a rematch of last year’s 5A state title game, which was won by the Timberwolves at Coeur d’Alene High?

The answer, thanks to Post Falls junior forward Erica Simpson, was no.

Simpson scored in the 43rd minute on an indirect kick, in a 1-0 win. Lexi Smith touched the ball first for the assist for the Trojans (6-1, 2-0 5A IEL) as Simpson rifled it through the goal and around a Lake City wall from about 15 yards out.

“It was really a team effort,” Simpson said. “Lexi and I did it together. I couldn’t have done it without my team.”

Simpson, who had two of the Trojans’ six shots on goal, had a breakaway chance in the first minute that was saved by diving goalkeeper Tiegan Horton of Lake City (3-3-1, 1-1), who made five saves.

“That (avenging last year’s loss) was important to us,” said Simpson, a returning starter. “It meant a lot to us. We were all excited for this game.”

The goal was set up by an intentional playback call against the Timberwolves. A defender intentionally played the ball back to Horton, who picked it up with her hands. By rule, Horton was not allowed to pick it up.

Lake City disagreed.

“They capitalized,” Timberwolves coach Matt Ruchti said. “It was a miscall, in my opinion. But miscalls happen throughout the game. Unfortunately, the missed call happened inside the (penalty) box three yards away from our goal, where an unfortunate situation occurred with the AR (assistant referee and line judge) thinking he saw something. That’s their perogative, that’s their job in the game is to make those decisions and unfortunately it didn’t go our way.”

Lake City had four shots on goal and sent several accurate entry passes to forwards Meaghan Bare, Maddi Ward, Alissa Jolliff and Courtny Hanson. However, the defending state champs were one touch away from getting a solid scoring chance and couldn’t come up with one.

“You could see which team plays and which team doesn’t,” Lake City coach Matt Ruchti said. “We didn’t score goals today and we’ve got to be more efficient in the final third (of the field) and score goals and we didn’t do that today, although we had the run of the play.”

On Oct. 8, the two teams face each other again at Lake City’s Irma Anderl Soccer Complex. They could face each other in regionals and in the state tournament.

“This is just round one,” Post Falls coach Briggs Anderson said. “We might face them three more times, depending on how both teams go.”

Anderson had a little deja vu out on the soccer field.

“Looking at last year’s state final, it went to PKs,” Anderson said. “It was a 0-0 game. Today, in my opinion, it was a lot like that. Our goal that we got off that penalty was, depending on the referee’s situation, could’ve been either a penalty or let go. I look at it as we got the ‘W’ but it was an even-fought game.”

The Timberwolves had two good scoring chances in the second half. The first came in the 56th minute, as Smith fielded a soft ball in front of Post Falls goalkeeper Sam Runkle, who made four saves in collecting the shutout. Smith kicked it straight to Ward, who kicked it back to Smith, who booted it out of harm’s way.

The second chance came in the 73rd minute, on a corner kick by Bare. Havana Johnson’s header went well wide of the goal.

Post Falls plays Tuesday at Coeur d’Alene in a 5A IEL matchup.

Lake City plays Tuesday at home against Sandpoint in nonleague action.

First half — None. Second half — 1, PF, Erica Simpson (Lexi Smith), 43:00.

Shots on goal — LC 4, PF 6.

Saves — LC, Tiegan Horton 5, PF, Sam Runkle 4.