On a warm Wednesday evening with well over 100 people in attendance, the Badgers played well but were unable to get the ball into their opponent’s goal, resulting in a narrow 1-0 loss. 

After a back and forth start to the first half, Bonners Ferry started to control the game, with Timberlake not having many opportunities in the game’s first 30 minutes. The Badgers’ attack was fearsome, with Alexys Mierke and Maddie Hart particularly effective on the right-hand side.  

It was then a shock to the home crowd when, against the run of play, Timberlake scored a well-placed goal into the bottom left corner with less than ten minutes remaining in the first half. Despite two good chances following the goal from Bonners Ferry, the Badgers went into halftime down a goal.  

In the second half, Bonners Ferry had several shots, with a long-range effort from Mayzie Humas almost sneaking through. They kept battling, forcing Timberlake to defend for much of the second half. Any counterattacks Timberlake attempted were quickly snuffed out by a stout defensive unit of Neveah Therrien, Giuliana Abraham, Bernice Jones, Marley Pauls and Addison Lucas. 

Bonners Ferry Head coach Emily Winebark praised her team for the way they played. 

“The girls fought hard and worked on a difficult formation, which led to control and possession and lots of scoring opportunities (in the second half),” Winebark wrote in a statement. “Our goalies Hallie Thomson and Alexys Madrid did a great job stopping shots and our defense held tough under pressure.” 

After Bonners Ferry beat Timberlake in the first game of the season, it will be a race between the two teams for a spot at state. 

The varsity girls soccer team is now 4-4, and 4-2 in conference play. Their next game is away Sept. 30 against Moscow at 4 p.m.