NIC SOCCER: Salt Lake plays the long game to bounce Cardinals

• MEN

COEUR d’ALENE — Sometimes, the bounces don’t go your way. 

For the North Idaho College men’s soccer team, Thursday was that day. 

Salt Lake Community College, which claimed the 2024 NJCAA championship, scored the first three goals of the match in a 4-1 win over North Idaho College in a Scenic West Athletic Conference match at Eisenwinter Field. 

“Every team that comes here and plays the long ball has a better chance than we do,” NIC men’s soccer coach Brad Williams said. “For whatever reason, the ball bounces oddly on our field and we’ve got to figure out how to adjust to that. We were unbeaten on the road last year, and .500 at home. Playing here, it’s kind of a 50/50 chance the ball is going to bounce your way.” 

Salt Lake is 3-2-4, 3-1-2 SWAC. 

Judah Straight, a sophomore from Bellingham, Wash., scored in the 65th minute for NIC (7-4, 3-3), which hosts Colorado Northwestern (1-7-1, 1-5) on Saturday. The Spartans beat Pacific Northwest Christian 3-0 in Kennewick, Wash., on Thursday for their first win of the season. 

First half — 1, SLCC, Inaki Lambarri (unassisted), 23:03. 2, SLCC, Cooper Johnson (Ali Merghemi), 33:20. Second half — 3, SLCC, Lambarri (unassisted), 47:37. 4, NIC, Judah Straight (unassisted), 65:56. 5, SLCC, Taylor Kogan (David Noguera), 90:00. 

Shots on goal — SLCC 10, NIC 6. 

Saves — SLCC, Jackson Medina 5; NIC, Ariel Martinez 6. 

• WOMEN

Salt Lake 2 

North Idaho 0 

COEUR d’ALENE — Once the host Cardinals attempted to match the fourth-ranked Bruins, things got away from them. 

Salt Lake (7-0-1, 5-0-1 SWAC) scored a pair of second-half goals to beat the Cardinals (3-4-2, 3-2-1) at Eisenwinter Field. 

“In the second half, I think we just didn’t play soccer, honestly,” NIC women’s coach Kellsi Parson said. “We tried to play the long ball game like they do, and Salt Lake is No. 4 for a reason. Defensively, we were really organized in the first half and played the game plan how we wanted to. Their first goal was on a free kick and the other came out of something we were doing that found their feet and the girl played a great ball.” 

NIC entered the match second in the Scenic West. 

“The girls played well,” Parson said. “I thought Zoey (Glenn) played one of the best games of her career and kept us really organized in back. If we would have been able to get into the attack, it would have been a better game.” 

NIC hosts Colorado Northwestern (5-4, 3-3) on Saturday. The Spartans of Rangely, Colo., beat Pacific Northwest Christian 12-0 in other SWAC play Thursday in Kennewick, Wash.

First half — none. Second half — 1, SLCC, Nao Yamada (unassisted), 55:43. 2, SLCC, Avery Thal (unassisted), 82:57. 

Shots on goal — SLCC 12, NIC 5. 

Saves — SLCC, Elle Rafajko 5; NIC, Serena Hand 10. 

    NIC ATHLETICS North Idaho College sophomore forward McKenzie White plays the ball as Salt Lake's Jayla McFarland defends during the first half of Thursday's Scenic West Athletic Conference match at Eisenwinter Field.