Boys soccer starts season strong, dominates St. Maries
BONNERS FERRY — The Bonners Ferry boys soccer team started the season strong with two wins and a tie the first week of matches, topping Stillwater Christian and St. Maries and battling Coeur d'Alene Charter to a draw.
On Aug. 24, the Badgers hosted Intermountain League rival Coeur d’Alene Charter, tying the Panthers 3-3 with Junior Nick Eastman scoring the three BFHS goals.
Eastman matched the Panthers by scoring 2 goals in the first half and the final goal in the second half.
Panthers David Leahy and Owen Hughes scored two goals in the first half and one in the second half respectively.
The matchup was the first conference home game of the season for Badgers, who then went on to play on Aug. 26-27.
According to head coach, Paul Bonnell the three matches varied in style, testing different player “combinations and tactics.”
The Badgers quickly built on their success and dominated St. Maries taking a well-deserved win of 8-1. Eastman scored 5 goals for the Badgers, with Seth Rice scoring 2 goals and Peter Regan scoring a goal.
Bonnell said Eastman has a good understanding of where he and teammates are on the field, with communication and executing corner kicks helping the Badgers take an early lead.
“Charter we tied, with what felt like closely-matched play throughout the game,” Bonnell said. “With St. Maries, we battled back and forth during the first half, but during the second, we shifted momentum favorably and began following through on offensive drives.”
On Aug. 27, Badgers played a nonconference home game against Stillwater Christian, winning 2-1.
Stillwater opened the scoring with a first-half goal, but the Badgers responded in the second half by scoring twice to win the game.
According to Bonnell, Eastman converted a penalty kick, and Regan scored the winning goal on an assist from Eastman.
“In the Stillwater Christian varsity game, they capitalized on a corner kick near the end of the first half,” Bonnell said.
Bonnell stated the team kept applying pressure throughout the game, but the hard work paid off in the last two minutes, “with a penalty kick and then a turnover that turned into a beautiful cross assist and goal just before the end of game.”
According to Bonnell, the team is still growing and learning, but coach Isaac Wilson and Bonnell were pleased to see players incorporating practice concepts in gameplay and working on communication.
“These will be ongoing lessons,” Bonnell said.
The Badgers traveled to Orofino for a Sept. 1 conference match; the Maniacs are currently 0-1, coming off a loss against Timberlake.
On Sept. 2, Badgers play against Grangeville, which has lost to Coeur d’Alene Charter and St. Maries this season, teams the Badgers have tied or won against.
Bonners Ferry returns home on Tuesday, Sept. 7, to face IML foe Priest River.
Bonnell is excited about a great season and stated a balance of home and away matches and encourages Badger soccer fans to come and support the team.
