Bonners Ferry girls soccer team drops playoff opener

The Bonners Ferry Girls’ Soccer team dropped their District I-II playoff opener 3 – 2 to the Kellogg Wildcats Saturday at Lakeland’s Rotary Field in Rathdrum. The fourth-seeded Badgers finished their IML season with a 2-6-2 record and an overall record of 3-10-2.

The Badgers took a 1-0 lead in the 26th minute Saturday when senior forward Natasha Webster converted an 18-yard shot off a well-placed pass from senior midfielder Grace Coughlin. The lead stood until halftime. Five minutes into the second half, Webster cranked a left-footed volley into the back of the net off another assist from Coughlin to give Bonners a seemingly comfortable 2-0 lead. Kellogg kept battling, cutting the lead in half with a goal in the 48th minute, then finally tying the game in the 64th minute, both goals coming on well –placed high shots from 15 yards out. The ensuing 16 minutes were fiercely contested, with the Wildcats breaking through in the 78th minute with the winning goal off a six-yard shot after a beautiful crossing pass from the right side.

The 2016 Badger squad were led by midfielder Grace Coughlin, forward Natasha Webster and center defender Jill Alexander, all seniors, and junior sweeper Kassy Skeen. Other members of this year’s team included seniors Katelyn Bennett, Ally Feldman and Lexie Levesque; juniors Tori Burt and Emmi Muellerschoen; sophomores Falisha Elliston, Becca Sandaker and Sydney Watt; and freshman Tianna Keller. Special thanks to sophomore Emily Blackmore for her assistance during the season and who returns next season after a knee injury last winter prohibited her from playing this year.