STATE 3A GIRLS SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP: Charter falls to Bouvia, Weiser

MIDDLETON — It worked for a half.

But eventually, the one player that nobody has been able to stop, finally got going for the Weiser Wolverines.

Lauren Bouvia recorded a hat trick, all in the second half — and finished the season with a national record of 127 goals this season — helping the Wolverines beat the Coeur d’Alene Charter Panthers 4-1 in the championship game of the state 3A tournament on Saturday at Middleton High.

“What we learned today is that not only is Lauren Bouvia an extremely talented player, but she is surrounded by a great team,” Coeur d’Alene Charter coach David Baxter said. “We were able to contain Lauren for the first 50 minutes, and we had several good scoring opportunities.”

Weiser (19-1-0) led 1-0 at the half on a goal by Grace Zimmerman.

Coeur d’Alene Charter, the 2014 state 3A champion, finished 15-6-1 in its third straight appearance at state in the four-year history of the program.

“We have tried to make sure that players understand the strengths of the teams we play and the possible opportunities that might present themselves,” said Baxter of the state tournament success. “We have also tried to have a good off-the-field plan, so that the players are rested and in the right state of mind when they take the field.”

Coeur d’Alene Charter, which defended Bouvia with a 3-5-2 defense, moved away from it to try and create its own chances in the second half.

“Our three fastest defensive backs (Natalie Goetz, Brooklyn Cunningham and Alexa Ricks) were tasked with tracking and closing quickly and cleanly on her,” Baxter said. “Brooklyn marked her at arm’s length and Alexa stayed between the ball and her to deny service to her from her teammates.”

“It was definitely a difficult matchup,” Coeur d’Alene Charter senior midfielder Abby Bartlett said. “We haven’t played against a team that’s so confident and skilled with the ball. We played great defense on her in the first half, but it was a risk that didn’t pan out.”

Bartlett, who was going to attend Lake City High, opted to go to Charter instead to focus on her academics.

“It’s been a really great experience at Charter,” Bartlett said. “I’d always wanted to play for Lake City, but putting academics first, I didn’t think I’d have this chance. But it’s been the best of both worlds.”

Brooklyn Cunningham scored in the 79th minute for Coeur d’Alene Charter.

“Our players gave everything they had until the final whistle,” Baxter said. “But Weiser’s strong defense, relentless pressure and team speed made the difference in the end. I am so proud of this team and they competed over the last three days.”

Coeur d’Alene Charter beat Shelley 2-0 on Thursday, then Timberlake 2-0 in the semifinals on Friday.

“We came out strong and played them tough on defense,” Coeur d’Alene Charter junior defender Natalie Goetz said. “We were a little tired from playing the first two days, and don’t think we were quite prepared for them on defense. We had a lot of shots on goal, but just didn’t get them in the back of the net.”

Senior goalkeeper Jackie Jensen had seven saves for Coeur d’Alene Charter.

“We knew that Lauren was really good,” Jensen said. “We thought she was their powerhouse, but they had another really good forward and they were really good on defense. We played hard.”

First half — 1, Wei, Grace Zimmerman (unassisted), 22:14. Second half — 2, Wei, Lauren Bouvia (unassisted), 50:26. 3, Wei, Bouvia (unassisted), 63:20. 4, Wei, Bouvia (Aline Cortez), 72:40. 5, Charter, Brooklyn Cunningham (unassisted), 79:03.

Shots on goal — Charter 12, Wei 11.

Saves — Charter, Jackie Jensen 7; Wei, Brittany Hickey 10.