Cougars shut out Spartan girls soccer

PRIEST RIVER — At the conclusion of Thursday's season opener for the Priest River girls soccer team, the scoreboard read 7-0 in favor of Stillwater Christian School.

However, in head coach Rob Lawler's eyes, that scoreline didn't reflect how well his team played.

"To me, it was a pretty evenly matched game," he said.

The Spartans had plenty of opportunities to score, they just couldn't cash in. Lawler believes his team could have scored as many as five goals, but it just wasn't their night.

The Spartans were on the attack early as freshman Lizzie McCracken was able to get a pair of shots on goal in the first four minutes of the game, including one that just went over the top of the net.

But as the first half wore on, the Cougars began to control possession and blasted a handful of shots over the crossbar.

In the 25th minute, sophomore Brooklyn Best came out to make a huge save in net to keep the match scoreless. But just five minutes later, Stillwater Christian took a 1-0 lead when Emma Anderson fired a shot over Best and into the back of the goal.

The Cougars would add another in the 37th minute to take a 2-0 advantage into the half.

Stillwater Christian continued to pressure the Priest River backline in the second half, netting five goals.

Despite the scoreline, the Spartans never quit and kept pushing forward. They were able to produce several high-quality scoring chances in the final 40 minutes, including a blast off the right post by junior Kiersten Davis in the 47th minute.

Lawler was proud of his team for fighting until the final whistle. It was evident how badly they wanted a goal.

"That's what I ask," he said about the perseverance. "No matter what the score is you got to keep playing. We play with pride and sometimes the ball doesn't bounce our way and tonight was one of those nights."

The Spartans only had one sub, so fatigue definitely impacted the team, but the young squad kept their intensity throughout the entire match, Lawler said.

Priest River has six newcomers this fall and Lawler said all of them played really well.

"There's been a lot of growth in these first two weeks and I honestly suspect that we'll just keep improving and we'll get more competitive as the season goes on," he said.

The Spartans (0-1) host St. Maries in Intermountain League action at 1 p.m. Saturday.

First half — 1, Stillwater, Emma Anderson (unassisted), 30:00. 2, Stillwater, Belle Schwartz (unassisted), 37:00. Second half — 3, Stillwater, Schwartz (unassisted), 41:00. 4, Stillwater, Anderson (unassisted), 45:00. 5, Stillwater, Schwartz (unassisted), 55:00. 6, Stillwater, Anderson (unknown), 62:00. 7, Stillwater, Olivia Kreitner (unassisted), 68:00.

Shots — Stillwater 22, Priest River 9.

Saves — Stillwater, Kricket Hartman 5; Priest River, Brooklyn Best 10.