STATE 6A GIRLS SOCCER: Lake City edged by defending champs

By MARK NELKE 

Sports editor 

SANDPOINT — During their impressive run of 16 straight trips to the state girls soccer tournament, the Lake City Timberwolves likely never took a team to state that was as young as this year’s group — six freshmen and nine sophomores. 

However, Lake City coach Matt Ruchti was not going to use youth as an excuse after the sixth-seeded Timberwolves fell 2-1 to third seed and defending state champion Owhyee of Meridian in a first-round game of the state 6A girls tournament Thursday morning at War Memorial Field. 

“We’re a talented team; we did not step up to what our level was today; we just didn’t,” said Lake City coach Matt Ruchti, in his 22nd season. “And we were still in the game — and we had opportunities to tie it up all the way up to the end. But, the game demands you to do things that, you have to go that extra mile. And we just struggled a little bit with that, to gain our momentum in the game. We did better at that in the last 20 minutes than we did in the first 60. Unfortunate, but now it’s about regrouping and getting ready to win a game tomorrow, and try to put us in a position to win a trophy.” 

Lake City (12-4-2) will play the seventh-seeded Highland Rams (12-5-1) of Pocatello in a consolation-round game today at 9 a.m. Highland lost 1-0 to second-seeded Boise in overtime.  

Owyhee (12-4-2) will play Boise (13-2-2) in a semifinal game today at 1 p.m. 

With temperatures at 36 degrees at kickoff Thursday morning, the more-experienced Owyhee squad controlled the run of play, and was first to most of the 50/50 balls. 

“I think we just played on our heels a little bit,” Ruchti said. “It was a pretty even game for the first 20 minutes, and then we gave up a goal and they grabbed the momentum ... they held momentum longer than we could, and that was the difference in the game for us. 

In the 16th minute, Owyhee senior Ashley Wright knifed through the Lake City defense and scored past T-Wolf keeper Savvy Spencer from some 15 yards out. 

In the second half, Wright controlled a long ball up the right side, dropped it back for sophomore Alexa Zierenberg, who came into the tournament with 20 goals on the season. From some 20 yards out to the right of the goal, Zierenberg drilled a shot inside the far post for a 2-0 Storm lead. 

"They’re big players, and they’re tough players,” Lake City senior defender Kennedy Hartzell said of Owyhee. “And it’s hard when you’re such a young team to expect that coming in, and be ready to be that physical. But otherwise, I thought we were pretty evenly matched, and I think we could have responded better than we did.” 

Spencer, a sophomore, was busy in goal, and kept Lake City in it with several nice saves. Those included one on a free kick from Zierenberg from 30 yards out in the second that was headed under the bar, inside the far post, before Spencer leaped and fisted the ball over top of the net with her right hand. 

“Their goals didn’t come off combination plays; they came off of mistakes by us,” Ruchti said. “That’s just something we have to live with.” 

Lake City made it interesting in the 78th minute when, off a scramble a bit out in front of the net, sophomore Kathryn Kovatch left-footed a shot inside the far post from some 15 yards out to bring the T-Wolves within a goal. 

Lake City had another chance in the final two minutes before the buzzer sounded. 

“I’ll take this team to battle any day,” Ruchti said. “One thing I know is they are going to respond and play well tomorrow.” 

“It’s tough; going to a state tournament is hard; it’s hard to win games with such a young team,” Hartzell said. “But we stepped up when we could, and I think we’re ready to come back and win tomorrow.” 

Owyhee, in its fourth year as a school, won last year in its first trip to state. 

“I think we came out strong, and we came out with a little bit of a target on our backs after last year,” said second-year Owyhee coach Madison Brown, whose team boasts seven seniors and nine juniors. “So we’re ready to make a name for ourselves this year, too. We lost 10 seniors from last year, so we’re a young team that’s really come together this year.” 

    MARK NELKE/Press Lake City sophomore goalkeeper Savvy Spencer soars to snuff out a scoring attempt by Owyhee in the first half in the first round of the state 6A girls soccer tournament Thursday morning at War Memorial Field in Sandpoint.