SOCCER: Badgers sweep Grangeville, tough matchups on horizon

BONNERS FERRY — Badger girls soccer (3-0) remains undefeated and beat the Grangeville Bulldogs on Friday, Sept. 1, 2-0.

Although the Badgers won and had possession most of the game, Bonners Ferry head coach Emily Winebark said the team was not prepared for the match. However, at the half, the Badgers picked up the pace.

“I don’t love the gap of two goals,” Winebark said, noting that the lead over Grangeville could have switched quickly, as it does in soccer.

Although the Badgers attacked the goal, many of their shots were rushed or not on target.

“We have some girls that don’t realize they can shoot outside the 18,” Winebark said. “They go to cross the ball when they should be looking for an angle to shoot instead.”

Although Bonners Ferry defeated Grangeville 2-0, other league opponents have beaten Grangeville by larger margins: CDA Charter 16-0, Priest River 7-1, Timberlake 9-2.

In comparison, Bonners Ferry beat Priest River in its season opener, 7-1.

Bonners Ferry has a packed weekend ahead, facing top league opponents Timberlake (1-0) and the CDA Charter (2-0) on Friday at home and Saturday away.

Winebark said the team is looking to clean things up before the next match.

Badgers fall to Immaculate Conception after late goal

POST FALLS — Badger boys soccer held the Cristeros of Immaculate Conception Academy 2-2 for most of the game on Tuesday, but a goal late in the game gave ICA the win.

Nikita "Nik" Rawson scored early for the Badgers followed by another goal by senior Jesse Dye, which made the game 2-2.

Head Bonners Ferry coach Paul Bonnell said at half that he wanted the team to play with intensity and not get turned around by the aggressive Cristeros.

He said the game felt much closer than the game against Stillwater Christian. He also commended freshman goalkeeper Cardon Pluid for his saves in goal.

The Badgers play Timberlake at home on Friday and away at Coeur d’Alene Charter on Saturday.

Looking forward, Bonnell said the team is focusing on staying calm during high intensity games. Which he expects against Timberlake and CDA Charter.

Badgers maul Bulldogs

BONNERS FERRY — Badger boys soccer (2-1) defeated Grangeville (2-3) on Friday, 7-0, scoring six goals in the first half and senior Jesse Dye earning a hat trick.

The Badgers scored in the third, seventh, and fourteenth minutes of the game, and from there the team was off to the races and maintaining possession.

At the season opener against Priest River, Bonners Ferry won 4-0, Bonners Ferry coach Paul Bonnell said it felt like the team was knocking off the cobwebs from the summer. Against Stillwater Christian the week before, he thought the Badgers played strong in the middle 60 minutes of the game, but had lapses in the first and final 10 minutes.

“Our directive coming into tonight was, from the whistle, play like we know how to play and make it our game,” Bonnell said.

After the first three goals, Bonnell said he didn’t want the team to get sloppy.

“From there, we were missing traps. I’m not sure if it was goal fever, but the only reason we made those three goals was because we were playing good soccer,” he said. “So now let’s keep playing good soccer.”

From there, the Badgers were able to bring substitutes in and rotate players.

“We are happy to have Eli Newell back in the mix after recovering from an injury,” Bonnell said. “The creative offensive dynamics with Newell, Jesse Dye, and Nikita “Nik” Rawson were apparent in their playmaking.”

Newell scored two goals, and Rawson scored one goal and one penalty kick.

When it came to defense, Jesse Fess commanded the backfield and stopped the Bulldog advance.

“The communication among defenders and goalkeeper has been solid in both practice and play, with a fluid and protective approach anchored around Jesse Fess’ decisive work at center back.”

Goals Scored

BF: Jesse Dye, 3, Eli Newell, 2, Nikita “Nik” Rawson, 2.