Cd'A Charter gets its just des(s)erts

TWIN FALLS — The pressure in trying to 3-peat this season, Coeur d’Alene Charter Academy girls soccer coach Stacy Smith figured, was just in getting to the championship game.

Wins in the first round and semifinals at state earned the Panthers a figurative sundae.

Saturday was about putting a cherry on top.

Eliason Cherrstrom, Cali Shipman and Sandy Faulkner each scored once as Coeur d’Alene Charter blanked Sugar-Salem 3-0 in the championship game of the state 3A high school girls soccer tournament at the Sunway Soccer Complex.

Coeur d’Alene Charter (21-0-0) won its third straight state title, and fourth in five seasons, in the Panthers’ fifth straight trip to the state title game.

“It came out to who had more energy today, and I think we just did,” said Smith, in her third season as coach. “We were able to play more possession than the other team. You could tell, for every 50/50 ball, our girls were wanting it more. We were able to capitalize on our chances in front of the net, and most of Sugar’s shots came from outside the 18.”

Goalkeeper Mercedes Zepeda, in just her second game back — and her first start — after suffering a thumb injury, posted a shutout. Faulkner, who had been among those sharing goalkeeper duties with Zepeda out, scored the final goal in the 52nd minute.

“Nothing against Sandy (in goal), but it allowed us to have another midfielder; it helped giving us more fresh legs in the midfield,” Smith said.

Turns out, the Panthers needed those legs after senior midfielder Elizabeth “Izzy” Lehosit suffered a concussion in the 10th minute and didn’t return. On a corner kick, as she was heading the ball, she was hit on the other side of the head by the head of a Sugar player.

“Cali Shipman held down the midfield after Izzy went out,” Smith said. “She was able to get up and put one away before the half — that kind of deflated Sugar-Salem.”

“It was kinda nerve wracking (when Lehosit went out), but then we figured it out, and held down the fort,” Shipman said. “I don’t see myself as a scorer, more of a distributor, and it really pumped me up when I scored.”

Smith had praise for Emma Bartlett on defense.

“And Eli (Cherrstrom, a forward) put so much pressure on that back line, you could tell they scouted her and were worried about her speed.”

Coeur d’Alene Charter won 17 of their 21 games by shutout, and outscored its opponents 139-5 on the season. The Panthers are 54-3-2 in three seasons under Smith.

Sugar-Salem finished 18-1-1.

First half — 1, Charter, Eliason Cherrstrom (Sarah Hines), 12:00. 2, Charter, Cali Shipman (unassisted), 39:00. Second half — 3, Charter, Sandy Faulkner (unassisted), 52:00.

Shots on goal — Charter 15, SS 5.

Saves — Charter, Mercedes Zepeda 5; SS, Kass Christensen, 8.