HOW THEY WERE BUILT: Ruchti: From fill-in to filling the T-Wolf trophy case

Matt Ruchti has done a lot of building and designing the game of soccer in the northwest.

Starting out, Ruchti painted lines for Gonzaga University on its soccer fields.

Now, he’s hanging banners in the gymnasium at Lake City High in Coeur d’Alene.

It started as a temporary situation out of Idaho State University for Ruchti at Lake City High.

There, Ruchti was helping out with then-Timberwolves girls soccer coach Dave Lindsay, and North Idaho College coach Bill Eisenwinter.

“I officially started coaching in 2002,” Ruchti said. “Prior to that, I’d help out with the kids team, but never really had a team. I started working with some teams in Pocatello and Kenny Thompson — (current Timbers-Thorns FC Director of Operations) Mike Thompson’s older brother. I helped him, but didn’t do anything on my own until 2002.”

A few weeks into the 2003 season, that all changed.

“Dave was great to bring me onto the staff,” Ruchti said. “Lake City had a very good program and I came on within a few weeks before the season started. Dave needed some help and wasn’t planning on being the coach that year anyway. Within a few weeks, he told me that ‘this was a bridge year, and next year, you’ve got to be the guy.’ He started to let me run practices and I took over from there.”

In his time at the varsity post at Lake City, Ruchti has guided the Timberwolves girls team to the state 5A championship game three times (2012, 2015 and 2016), with wins in 2012 and 2016. Ruchti is also the Director of Competition for the Timbers-Thorns FC soccer club based in Coeur d’Alene.

“I kind of took the assistant job to make some money for the season,” Ruchti said. “I wasn’t working at Lake City at the time because I was going to grad school. I kind of looked at it as a seasonal year, and didn’t think I’d be around the next year. The community of Coeur d’Alene, it’s a unique soccer community. It’s very, very cool and intriguing and well thought of community when it comes to soccer for sure.”

Starting out, Ruchti, 42, often practiced with his players.

“I knew soccer and had qualified people in my life,” Ruchti said. “I spent half my time practicing with them. I’ve always been fortunate to always coach the best players in the area. It makes coaching easier to coach the best kids in the area. We had good players in the program, and that made it an easy transition. It wasn’t until four years later that I realized I needed others to come through as well.”

Ruchti has coached boys teams in the past for the club season. And while the offer to coach the Lake City boys has come a few times, Ruchti has stuck with his squad since.

“It was the first job that opened up, and I didn’t care which one I coached,” Ruchti said. “I’ve turned down that (boys) job once or twice. I knew I wanted to be involved with the game, and needed to do something. I finished my master’s at Gonzaga and was painting soccer fields, and things kind of evolved from there.”

And while he’s toyed with the idea, Ruchti has not made the jump to the college game.

“I’ve thought about it absolutely from time to time,” Ruchti said. “I was a volunteer assistant with Scott Moorcroft and Kenny (Thompson) at NIC. But the impact I’ve been able to have on the club side and high school, it’s kind of fit in with my family, friends and personal life. It’s been a perfect marriage.”

Ruchti’s first season as coach ended with a third-place finish at state.

In 2012, Lake City started the season 3-5-3 with a young squad, with only four seniors on the roster, one of which was out for the season with an injury. The Timberwolves had 12 players that were either a freshman or sophomore. They improved to 6-6-4 heading into a state play-in game at Middleton High.

That’s when the season, and program, turned the corner.

In the play-in game, Meaghan Bare scored in the 98th minute, her third goal of the day, to give Lake City a 3-2 double-overtime win over Centennial High of Boise.

“To be honest, I’ve never had a season occur like that, and never will again,” Ruchti said. “That team had some (eventual) Division I players, and they were young. I looked at them during that play-in game and said, ‘Why can’t it be us?’ We just had to win games, and keep moving forward.”

On that team were Camryn Wendlandt (San Diego State/Baylor), Meaghan Bare (Idaho State), Tiegan Horton (NIC, Portland State), Alissa Jolliff (NIC), Bailey Burgin (NIC), Kassie Torres (Community Colleges of Spokane) and Natalie Wheelock (Division II Adams State in Colorado). Taylor Hoffman, a senior who was out for the season with a torn ACL, went on to play at NIC.

Lake City beat Highland of Pocatello — Ruchti’s alma mater — in the opening round, then Timberline of Boise in a state semifinal to advance to the state championship game. The first two games at state that year were at the Irma Anderl Soccer Complex, Lake City’s soccer field.

“I told them that if we make it hard to beat us, we will advance,” Ruchti said. “And that’s what we did. We won in the play-in in double OT, then won the opener in double OT. In the semifinal, we won on PKs.”

In the championship game at Coeur d’Alene High, Lake City beat Post Falls, also on penalty kicks. Post Falls had beaten the Timberwolves in the regional championship game nine days earlier in Post Falls.

“By the time we got to the championship game, with the amount of time we’d put on the field, we’d played a game and a half more than everyone else,” Ruchti said. “I told them, ‘Why can’t we be the team?’ Their will to win was stronger than any team we came against. Since then, our success has been built on commitment to good players who are committed to doing the little things.”

Now, when state tournaments are played in southern Idaho, often times it’s on artificial turf at either Eagle, Meridian or Rocky Mountain high schools.

After falling on the turf in the title game against Centennial in 2015 at Rocky Mountain of Meridian, back on grass the following year, it was a different story.

Much like the first title in 2012, Lake City won twice on its home field before taking down Rocky Mountain on penalty kicks at Coeur d’Alene High for the 2016 title.

“Playing on the traditional grass where we get to play, and playing at home can be an advantage,” Ruchti said. “Boise schools don’t travel anyway, but we’ve moved beyond that. We don’t use those things like playing surface and that as obstacles, but try to stay committed to the program and each other.”

The 2016 squad included Havana Johnson (McNeese State) and Bridget Rieken (Washington State), both future Division I players. Hannah Clarke (Columbia Basin College), Chloe Teets (College of Idaho), Madyson Smith (College of Idaho), Tiana Cydell (NIC) and Katey Knaack (NIC) also played in college from that team.

Still, it’s the players buying into playing their specific role and holding each other accountable for the team’s success, Ruchti added.

“That’s what has built us to one of the best programs in the state,” Ruchti said. “We don’t do rules in the program. Our players set the expectation, and it took a long time to figure that out.”

That, and help in all the right places.

“It’s a players’ program,” Ruchti said. “The relationship we have with our club programs and our administration at the school has been great. (Lake City athletic director) Jim (Winger) has wholeheartedly supported the program. It’s been easy for me. Coaching for Jim Winger, it’s been one of the easiest jobs I’ve ever done. He supports coaches and cares about the programs. He comes to the games and supports girls soccer. Having him in charge and supporting it is a big deal.”

Lake City finished third at state in 2018 at the Idaho Falls Soccer Complex. The Timberwolves failed to place in 2017 and 2019.

“During the school year, I’m usually at Lake City by 7 a.m.,” Ruchti said. “During the fall, I’ll coach the club team and high school team at the same time. We’ll usually have the JV and varsity overlap and train 30 to 45 kids at the same time. We practice from 3 to 4:45, then the club team will come in until 7. But I get to work with all of my best friends. I really do. And they make things a lot easier.”

And in case you were wondering, the 5A soccer tournaments are scheduled to be held this year in North Idaho, on grass fields, in October at either Coeur d’Alene, Lake City or Post Falls high schools.