Lewiston soccer claw past Moscow

LEWISTON — In sports, if you’re given an inch, it’s better to take a mile. When neither team is giving an inch — you figure it out as you go.

Lewiston figured it out and downed Moscow 2-0 Tuesday in a girls soccer match at Walker Field.

Both the Bengals and Bears had attacking opportunities and long possessions with the ball but Lewiston (8-3-3, 6-1-2) got the advantage on the scoreboard with two goals late in the first and second halves, respectively.

“This was a game that we told each other we really needed to win,” Lewiston coach Scott Wimer said. “In our last game we had a little trouble with the tie with Sandpoint when we probably should’ve won that game. So this was some kind of personal revenge.”

Here are some of the highlights from Friday’s match:

Missed chances

Moscow (6-3-2, 6-3-1) had several opportunities in the first half to be the first team on the board but couldn’t get past goalie Allison Olson or the Bengals backline.

The Bears, for their credit, were able to return the favor and held Lewiston back for the majority of the first half.

Boths teams had missed shots including a free kick out of bounds and another free kick that didn’t find the goal (but did find the windshield of a beige Lexus). The Bengals’ Erika Wicks broke the drought and found the net in the 39th minute off an assist by Jessa Hartwig.

“(Lewiston) had really good counterattacks and really good transitions,” Moscow assistant Juan Saldana said. “I think what we were lacking today was that possession we normally keep. ...We were giving it away pretty easily.”

Try to respond quick

Moscow shifted gears in the second half and looked to rely on its speed to try and pull even with Lewiston — something Wimer said postgame was a concern for his squad.

The Bears tried to utilize the speed of freshman middleback Mattea Nuhn for attacking opportunities, and were almost successful. Nuhn took the ball into the opposition’s side of the pitch several times, but the Bengals were able to put a body in front of Nuhn to prevent a one-on-one chance or were able to intercept the pass to the trailing attacker — neutralizing the speed advantage of Nuhn.

“Offensively, we weren’t able to create the angles or support we normally do,” Saldana said. “We did have some moments it was just either we were taking some touches too many and didn’t get the shot off or wasn’t finding the right pass, but there were some good moments.”

When the attack was able to get through the back line, Olson was able to tally a total of 11 saves for the match.

Getting chippy late

Neither team was afraid to get their hands dirty in the second half.

Both teams had free kick and corner kick opportunities in the second half and a yellow card was pulled at one point.

No goals came directly off corner or free kicks, but did help result in the last goal of the game.

In the 74th minute, Moscow goalkeeper Makai Rauch got the deflection off a free kick but failed to secure the ball. Players from Moscow and Lewiston swarmed — but Brynn Wimer was the one to find the ball and scored the go-ahead goal.

Up next

Despite the result, both the Bengals and Bears are in great positions going into the final couple games of the regular season — but are looking at stiff competition.

Moscow will conclude its regular season at 6:30 p.m. Friday against Coeur d’Alene in an away match.

Lewiston will play Post Falls at 12:30 p.m. Saturday in Lewiston and finish its regular season against La Grande (Ore.) at 4 p.m. Tuesday in La Grande.

“One of the things we definitely have to do is everyone continues to have their best games,” Wimer said. “When someone hasn’t had their best game, the girls have done a fantastic job at picking up the pace. I think there’s such a good culture with these girls that they recognize.”

Moscow 0 0—0

Lewiston 1 1—2

Lewiston — Erika Wicks (Jessa Hartwig), 39th

Lewiston — Brynn Wimer (Myla Mee), 74th

Shots — Moscow 11; Lewiston 10. Saves — Moscow: Makai Rauch 3; Lewiston: Allison Olson 11.

Kowatsch can be contacted at 208-848-2268, tkowatsch@lmtribune.com or on Twitter @Teren_Kowatsch.