STATE 5A BOYS SOCCER TOURNAMENT: Viking rain Dance
<p>LOREN BENOIT/Press Coeur d'Alene's Austin Garitone (9) creates space between the ball and Bonneville defender Fabian Sandoval during Thursday's 5A tournament game at Post Falls High School.</p>
<p>LOREN BENOIT/Press Coeur d'Alene's Jason Lukes, center, leaves the ground to kick the soccer ball to a teammate during a 5A tournament game against Bonneville High School on Thursday.</p>
POST FALLS — On a rainy, dark Thursday morning, the Coeur d’Alene High boys soccer team showed it is much more than a one-man band.
Freshman Cameron Dance scored a pair of goals and sophomores Dempsey Brewer and Gabe Nazemi added one each as the Vikings dominated the Bonneville Bees from Idaho Falls 5-1 in the first round of the state 5A tournament at Post Falls High.
Of course, Viking star forward Austin Garitone also played a role in the win, with a goal and an assist, as Coeur d’Alene (9-1-5) advanced to play Centennial (15-2-2) of Boise today at 11:30 a.m. at Post Falls High in a semifinal game. Centennial defeated Mountain View (12-4-3) of Meridian 2-1.
“I’m thrilled with the boys, and how they played,” Coeur d’Alene coach Jeff Lake said. “What was spectacular about the game, in terms of who scored, Cameron, fantastic goal, especially on the second one — he beat three defenders himself. A lot of people just think we’re Austin Garitone, and yeah, he’s a soccer unicorn — you don’t find those kids often. But, you look at Gabe Nazemi scoring a goal, you look at Dempsey Brewer — he played center back for us the entire year. I’ve moved him up a couple of times, and this is the first game he’s actually started in an attacking role for us ... and you look at those goal scorers, besides Austin, they’re all sophomores and freshmen.”
The Vikings, in their first state tournament appearance since 2010, wasted little time taking control of this game. They nearly scored in the first couple minutes, and nearly scored in the 16th before a defender from Bonneville (8-10-2) cleared a ball away from in front of the net.
One minute later, the ball squirted free in the box to Brewer, who drilled in a shot from 10 yards out.
Ten minutes later, Garitone charged in toward the goal from the right side, weaving through defenders and feeding the ball to Dance, who knocked it in from in front of the net for a 2-0 halftime lead.
“I was kind of surprised,” said Dance, a midfielder who came into the game with four goals scored all season. “I was super happy that I was going to score.”
Dance made it 3-0 in the 50th minute with a nifty left-footed shot from about 15 yards out.
Bonneville, the District 5-6 runner-up, scored in the 60th minute on a lefty shot from 30 yards out on the right by Evan Williams that skipped past a defender in front of the goal, and also skipped past the Viking keeper.
Garitone answered a minute later, and Nazemi closed out the scoring in the 71st minute with a nice individual move just to the left of the goal. The Bees’ keeper dove to his right, and Nazemi’s shot sailed past him to this left from some 15 yards out.
Rain fell most of the game, and the wind kicked up at times.
“The weather doesn’t bother us, actually,” Lake said. “We actually enjoyed playing in this weather.”
First half — 1, Cd’A, Dempsey Brewer (unassisted), 17:00. 2, Cd’A, Cameron Dance (Austin Garitone), 27:00. Second half — 3, Cd’A, Dance (unassisted), 50:00. 4, Bonn, Evan Williams (unassisted), 60:00. 5, Cd’A, Garitone (Justin Kofmehl), 61:00. 6, Cd’A, Nazemi (unassisted), 71:00.
Shots on goal — Bonn 10, Cd’A 12.
Saves — Bonn, Marlon Cruz 3, Jason Rogel 1; Cd’A, Shawn McKeeken 8.