Bulldog boys fall to Blackfoot in shootout
—Photo by JASON DUCHOW PHOTOGRAPHY Senior Jack Rinck and the Bulldog boys played top notch soccer in a shootout loss Thursday to 4A power Blackfoot.
IDAHO FALLS — The Bulldogs have suffered their fair share of tough losses over the past few years, but Thursday’s 2-1 shootout loss to Blackfoot was not one of them, at least in the sense that the Bulldogs played some of their best soccer of the season in defeat at the 4A state soccer tournament opener in Idaho Falls.
Dawson Mulder scored his 23rd goal of the season for the Bulldogs (11-4-4), who would finish regulation tied at 1-1, before playing two scoreless 10 minute overtimes.
When 100 minutes of soccer couldn’t determine a winner, penalty kicks would, and Blackfoot (16-1-1) won on the seventh shot to advance to the semis.
Sandpoint head coach Adam Tajan called it a great game, and felt his team played up to its potential, tipping his hat to a rock-solid opponent.
“Blackfoot was an excellent team; top two if not the best team we’ve faced this season. We played well, created lots of good chances, it was just a really good game,” described Tajan. “Unfortunate that it had to be settled in a shootout, but you have to have a winner somehow.”
The shootout started with Mulder and Jack Rinck hitting their attempts, before Cole Baillie missed on his. Ben Schwartz and Luke Koch each made their attempts, and with goalie Mitch Rust stopping the first Blackfoot attempt, the first round of shootouts finished tied at 4/5.
In the second round, Noah Hastings made his shot before teammate Juan Curado missed his, and Rust just missed a save on Blackfoot’s seventh shooter to end the game.
The Bulldogs were the stronger team in the two overtimes, controlling possessions and shots, but could not finish before the shootout. All losses are tough, but when you play well, they don’t sting quite as much.
“Just a tough one all in all. The guys played really well, we didn’t play bad. You just look at it like wow, that was one heck of a game,” said Tajan. “Frustrating result, but you brush yourself off and get ready for that consolation round.”
The Bulldogs face Twin Falls, which lost 2-0 to Skyview in their opener, in a loser-out game today at 10 a.m. in the consolation bracket.