Lakeland earns state berth with win over Sandpoint

It’s official.

Lakeland High’s girls soccer team’s meteoric rise from 3A to a second-place finish at 4A state a year ago was no fluke.

If there were any doubters remaining, the Hawks silenced them Thursday in a thrilling 3-2 victory over Sandpoint in the 4A Region I championship game that went to a shootout.

With the score knotted 2-2 after 80 regulation minutes and two 10-minute overtimes, it came down to the final shooter in the shootout.

That shooter, midfielder Jaymian Stuermer, had never taken a shootout kick in a match before.

But with the score 2-2 in the shootout and Sandpoint finished with its five chances, Stuermer stepped calmly to the line and blasted it low just inside the left post.

“It was crazy,” said Stuermer, whom coach Mario Maddy said he inserted as the final shooter because of her calmness and ability to put negative things behind her. “I was shaking really, really bad and I had to make it for us to go to state.

“I was hoping Natalie (Nichols, who went fourth in the rotation) would make it (so I didn’t have to).”

Stuermer then revealed the key ingredient to Lakeland’s recipe for success.

“We’ve got heart,” Stuermer said. “And that’s what it takes.”

With the win, Lakeland (11-4-2) advances to the State 4A tournament Thursday through Oct. 21 at the Boise Soccer Complex in Meridian against the District 4-5 third seed or the District 6 runner-up, who meet in a Saturday play-in game.

Because there is no half-berth this year in Region I, Sandpoint ends its season with an 8-6-5 record.

Nichols opened the scoring in the 11th minute, using her left thigh to direct a cross on a free kick by Stuermer.

The Bulldogs tied it up in the 23rd minute when Brittany Clawson flicked a header forward to Becca Stone, who found herself 10 yards out and 1-on-1 with Hawks keeper Amanda North, whom she beat with a knee-high shot to North’s right.

Freshman Marissa Watson put the Hawks up 2-1 in the 59th minute when she fought through two defenders, shot once, got the rebound and scored from point-blank range.

Bulldogs sophomore Brittany Oakley scored in the 64th minute, knocking a rebound from Mallory Yates’ corner kick past North to finish the scoring and set the eventual stage for the shootout.

Maddy, full of pride about his team’s performance, eschewed the familiar sentiment about the shame of a great match having to be decided on penalty kicks.

“A win’s a win,” Maddy said. “I think we were playing one of the best teams in the state, and the sad thing is that one of us had to stay home.”

Maddy also decried the IHSAA’s decision to allow only one state berth from the region, instead of the traditional one automatic berth, one play-in berth.

“You take the two best teams, and we talked about it before the game: This is the state championship game, possibly, and to see them here is hard,” Maddy said. “So, hopefully, they change that in the future.

“Because you want the best teams to be down at state, and I’d love to play Sandpoint again.”

Sandpoint coach Adam Tajan described his postgame talk with his players.

“I just told them to keep their heads up,” Tajan said. “It’s always tough when a game is decided on penalty kicks, but even in a World Cup final, if it’s locked after two overtimes, it’s decided on penalty kicks.

“I thought both teams fought for the full 80 minutes plus the two overtime periods and it was a great game – it was the classic chess match, who’s going to make a mistake and give up a goal.”

He then doffed his hat to the Hawks.

“Lakeland’s a good team and they definitely gave us trouble during the regular season,” Tajan said. “We were hoping this would be our chance, when it mattered.

“They were the ones who delivered when it mattered.”