Kuna's title dreams come up short
Kuna's Rachel Anderson, right, tries to stop Sandpoint's Ellie Engel from advancing the ball Saturday during the 4A state championship girls soccer game at Syringa Middle School. Sandpoint won 7-2.Mike Vogt/IPT
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Sunday, October 25th, 2009
CALDWELL — As the Sandpoint girls soccer team celebrated its 4A state championship on Saturday, players from Kuna watched.
They had just been beaten by the Bulldogs 7-2 in the championship game at Syringa Middle School.
There was disappointment on the Kuna side, but the players kept their head up, proud of everything they had accomplished the past two weeks.
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"It was pretty tough," senior forward Ayla Johnson said. "We wanted it, but we still kept our heads up because we placed anyways. All that mattered was placing and bringing home something to show for it."
Kuna (17-5-2) won five straight games to get to the state championship game. The Kavemen won two loser-out district games, then a play-in game against Blackfoot. They beat Wood River on Thursday and Skyview on Friday to reach the title game. It was coach Dena Walker's first championship game appearance in 11 years as Kuna's coach.
"I'm extremely proud of this team," Walker said. "I think from the very start, I saw the potential in these guys that we could make it far. It was kind of a rocky road, we struggled sometimes with our inconsistency. But one thing that didn't waver is they really wanted to win, and I think that showed."
But it didn't take long for Kuna's title dreams to start to slip away. The Bulldogs scored their first goal in the 18th minute. By the 29th minute, Sandpoint had a 3-0 lead.
"We had a mental lapse," Walker said. "The second goal happened and everybody's heads just hung. The third one went in immediately after that. We had a mental breakdown for that short period."
Alicia Mertz scored two goals for Sandpoint. Her second goal gave the Bulldogs a 6-0 lead in the second half.
Jessica Higer got Kuna on the board in the 65th minute with a penalty kick.
Meghan Pagano extended Sandpoint's lead to 7-1 with 3 minutes left in the game, but Kuna responded with a quick goal by Tailyr Purbeck.
"We worked hard," Purbeck said. "I think some of us got down, but other players got them back up into it. We got back into it and stayed positive the whole time."
The loss may not have been the way Kuna wanted to end the season, but Walker said Kuna's run has helped her players — particularly the ones coming back next year — believe that the team can win the title in the future.
"We've had fourth (place), we've had third and we've had second," Walker said. "So the only thing that's left is first. I think this boosted some of the girls' confidence that this is really possible."
Of the 18 players who were on Kuna's roster for the state tournament, 12 are sophomores or juniors.
"I think it will help us a lot knowing how fun it was to come to state and do this well," Purbeck said. "I think it will push us next year to do just as well, if not better."
Even the players that won't be returning next year take some satisfaction in the role they played in the growth of the team.
"Even as a senior, it feels amazing and I hope this goes on and on," Johnson said. "Hopefully it will happen next year."
