Boys soccer 9-1-1 preparing for big games

BONNERS FERRY — After wins over Coeur d’Alene Charter, Stillwater Christian and Lakeland, Badger boys soccer is 9-1-1.

Against Coeur d'Alene Charter, the game was scoreless at halftime. The Badgers scored the lone goal of the game in the second half, to beat the league rival 1-0. The Badgers are 6-1 in their conference and are ranked second in 3A District 1.

On Saturday, Sept. 24, the Badgers were up 1-0 against the Lakeland Hawks in the half and finished off the Jaguars 2-0.

On Friday, Sept. 23, the Badger beat the Stillwater Christian 9-2. It was a back-and-forth battle early on with Eli Newell scoring first for the Badgers.

Badger defender Porter Schulte delivered an indirect kick from behind the midfield. The ball soared to the Jaguars goal and Nick Eastman got his body on the ball resulting in a goal and an assist for Schulte.

By half, the Badgers were up 4-0. In the second half, the Jaguars scored two goals but the Badgers scored another five to win the match 9-2.

Bonners Ferry Coach Paul Bonnel said after the Timberlake game, the Badgers looked over past game tapes and saw their lapses. Against the Hawks, the Badgers put everything together. The Badgers first meeting with the Hawks ended in a tie.

“We have grown a ton,” Bonnell said.

He wanted to highlight the midfielders Nikita Rawson, Eli Blackmore and Jesse Dye, which is something the Badgers have been working one.

He said those three players have been making Badger offense effective and give the team options to move the ball, support defense and get through balls. Having such a tight midfield helps forwards such as Nick Eastman to relax and take a break on the bench and further assess the game.

Bonnell also wanted to highlight defender Ridge Williams for keeping things going and pushing the offense forward.

He said compared to the Stillwater game, the 2-0 game against Lakeland felt slow, but that might have been due to the heat and players being sore from the day before.

Bonnell was very proud with both JV contests, as players did what they needed to do, put things together and still were able to contribute to the varsity games.

BADGER GOALS: N. Eastman 3, J. Dye 1, E. Newell 5.

ASSISTS: C. Blevins 1, N. Eastman 4, R. Williams 1, P. Schulte 1.

The Badgers play Timberlake at home on Thursday for Senior Night. At the last contest, the Tigers beat the Badgers 4-3. Timberlake is currently 8-2-1 overall and 7-0-1 in conference.