NIC SOCCER: Cardinals, playoff berth clinched, fall to CCS
Coeur d'Alene Press | UPDATED 9 years, 9 months AGO
SPOKANE — Already in the postseason thanks to a Treasure Valley win against Wenatchee Valley on Wednesday, the North Idaho College men’s soccer team came up short 4-1 to the Community Colleges of Spokane in a Northwest Athletic Conference match Thursday at Spokane Falls Community College.
The match, originally scheduled for Wednesday at Eisenwinter Field in Coeur d’Alene, was moved to the artificial turf at SFCC due to field conditions being declared unsafe by officials just prior to kickoff. Treasure Valley beat Wenatchee Valley 3-0 on Wednesday to clinch a postseason bid for NIC.
NIC (6-8-4, 6-6-2 NWAC, 20 points) trails Walla Walla by three points for second in the region. NIC can clinch the second seed to the playoffs with a win against visiting Wenatchee Valley on Saturday, as well as a loss by Walla Walla against visiting Spokane.
“It was good to know that we’d clinched before the match,” NIC coach Ken Thompson said. “You always want to host in the playoffs, but good that we didn’t have to take chances with anyone’s health. Defensively our shape was pretty good, but the matchups hurt us a little bit.”
Breno Rocha had a goal and assist for Spokane (12-3-3, 12-1-1), which clinched the East Region title and opening round bye.
Saturday’s NIC match is scheduled for Eisenwinter Field, but could be moved by officials based on field conditions to either Spokane Falls or Lake City High. That decision is expected to be made later today.
First half — 1, CCS, Chase Reidt (Breno Rocha), 35:00. 2, CCS, Johnathan Cortez (Oswal Lopez), 42:00. Second half — 3, CCS, Rocha (penalty kick), 60:00. 4, NIC, Alec Maldonado (Jared Mackaliss), 65:00. 5, CCS, Eric Sanchez-Flores (Rocha), 66:00.
Shots on goal — NIC 3, CCS 14.
Saves — NIC, Garrett Boyce 2; CCS, Raymond Ruano 1.