Salt Lake plays the long game to bounce Cardinals

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. 

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