SANDPOINT — The Sandpoint High girls soccer team’s state tournament aspirations are on the line on Saturday as they play host to the Idaho Falls Tigers in a win-or-go-home play-in game at War Memorial Field on Saturday at 1 p.m. 

The Bulldogs (9-7-1) and the Tigers (10-8-1) share no common opponents but are ranked closely next to each other in the MaxPreps rankings. Sandpoint is ranked seventh, while Idaho Falls is ninth by MaxPreps; however, the rankings credit the Bulldogs’ schedule as one of the toughest in all of 5A. 

Idaho Falls is powered by an overwhelming offense, which scored 82 goals in 2026. The Tigers are led by two sophomores, Reagan Sessions and Jessie Christofferson, who have scored 16 and 20 goals, respectively. 

Sandpoint has only scored 49 goals across their season but has scored on a much more consistent basis. The Bulldogs were only shut out by a fellow 5A school once in their 1-0 loss to Moscow in the Inland Empire District Championship game.  

Idaho Falls struggled against some of the best teams in their High Country League. Notably, the Tigers went winless in three matchups against Pocatello, the sixth-ranked team by MaxPreps that sports a near-identical rating to Sandpoint.  

The Bulldogs will need contributions from their star midfielder Bayah Ratigan and Harper Overland to propel their offense past the Tigers. Another impressive day from senior goalkeeper Izzy Stark would also go a long way in slowing the Tigers' offense. 

The winner of the play-in game will head to the 5A State Tournament, which is being hosted in Sandpoint next week. The Bulldogs and Tigers will square off at War Memorial Field at 1 p.m. on Saturday.