Sandpoint 2, Skyline 0

CALDWELL — No. 4 Sandpoint took care of business Thursday, defeating No. 5 Skyline, 2-0 in the first round of the 4A state championship tournament held at Brothers Park in Caldwell. Sandpoint’s Mackenzie Mitchell and Hannah Harvey scored first-half goals to propel the Bulldogs to victory.

During the 16th minute, Mitchell put the Bulldogs on the board off an assist from Hannah Harvey to take the lead. Not too much later, Harvey scored a goal of her own off an assist from Ava Glahe to give the Bulldogs a 2-0 lead. Sandpoint held off Skyline for the remainder of the match to advance to round two of the state championship tournament.

“It wasn’t one of our strongest performances,” head coach Conor Baranski said. “Maybe nerves, the long travel day, and the super-early game was a factor. So, we have room for improvement and will need to improve to win tomorrow. A huge positive is that we won while not playing up to our standards. We got to scout Pocatello today and I’m confident we can compete and even beat the No. 1 ranked team.”

No. 4 Sandpoint (9-5-3) faces off against No.1 Pocatello (17-0-1) on Friday at 1 p.m. (MST) at Brothers Park in Caldwell. Last year, Sandpoint was defeated by Pocatello in the third-place match, so the Bulldogs will be extra motivated to defeat the Thunder this time around.

1st half – 1, SPT, Mackenzie Mitchell (Hannah Harvey), 16’. 2, SPT, Hannah Harvey (Ava Glahe), 28’. 2nd half – None.

Shots – Sandpoint 13. Skyline 10.

Saves – Sandpoint, Lilliana Brinkmeier 10. Skyline, unknown, 11.