NIC SOCCER: Kante scores twice as Cardinal men top Treasure Valley

• MEN

ONTARIO, Ore. — Hamidou Kante scored a pair of goals and assisted on the third as North Idaho College edged Treasure Valley Community College 3-2 in Northwest Athletic Conference men’s soccer Wednesday.

“Real solid effort all the way through,” NIC coach Ken Thompson said. “We used more guys than usual. It was a very big field, probably 78 (yards) by almost 120, and you could see the effects 20 minutes in. A lot of ground to cover.”

Thompson praised the play off the bench of center midfielder Luis Gutierrez, who “brings energy.”

NIC improved to 5-3-2, 3-1-2 NWAC.

Diego Diaz-Sanchez scored both goals for Treasure Valley (4-6-1, 1-4-1).

“He’s a handful; he’s hard to contain,” Thompson said. “We were at our best (defending him) when Gunnar Skindlov was in the game.”

NIC plays host to Columbia Basin on Saturday.

First half — 1, NIC, Hamidou Kante (Alec Maldonado), 10:00. 2, TVCC, Diego Diaz-Sanchez (Michael Garcia), 34:00. 3, NIC, Jorge Carmona (Kante), 40:00. Second half — 4, NIC, Kante (Braden Ridgewell), 77:00. 5, TVCC, Diaz-Sanchez (Gerardo Cobarrubias), 85:00.

Shots on goal — NIC 17, TVCC 10.

Saves — NIC, Tanner Horton 6; TVCC, Mauricio Huerta 6.

• WOMEN

North Idaho 2

Treasure Valley 2

ONTARIO, Ore. — The visiting Cardinals scored twice in the first seven minutes, but had to settle for a tie with the Chukars in NWAC play.

Jasmine Smith scored in the fourth minute for NIC (3-3-2, 1-1-1 NWAC) on a shot from 40 yards out that went over the keeper and just under the cross bar.

“We started the game well and maybe scored too easily,” NIC coach Dan Hogan said. “Then we relaxed a bit and TVCC started putting on extra pressure in the middle 15 minutes of the half. The combination led to their two goals. The whole game was rather frantic with neither team finding a consistent rhythm, but happens sometimes when both teams are working hard to win the game.”

Treasure Valley is 5-6-1, 2-3-1.

NIC plays host to Columbia Basin on Saturday.

First half — 1, NIC, Jasmine Smith (unassisted), 4:00. 2, NIC, Emily Aspden (unassisted), 7:00. Second half — 3, TVCC, Madison Wells (unassisted), 14:00. 4, TCVV, Merhaweet Sahlezghi (Wells), 31:00. Second half — none.

Shots on goal — NIC 12, TVCC 9.

Saves — NIC, Tiegan Horton 5, Cassy Van Der Mey 1; TVCC, Fernanda Rogel 1, Aubrey Orihuela 1.