North Idaho College experienced a difficult Saturday in athletic competition, losing the Scenic West Athletic Conference title in both men's and women's soccer to Salt Lake. The men's soccer losses also resulted in the Cardinals losing their opportunity to host the Region 18 tournament.
In men's soccer, the third-ranked Salt Lake Bruins defeated the eighth-ranked Cardinals 3-0 at the Zions Bank Training Center in Herriman, Utah. Salt Lake clinched the conference title and the right to host the Region 18 tournament with the victory. Goals for Salt Lake were scored by Mekhi Haughton-Parris, Fernandes, and Michael Radomski.
NIC coach Brad Williams noted that the team struggled due to fatigue following a 2-2 tie against Utah State-Eastern on Thursday in Price, Utah. NIC will enter the Region 18 Tournament as the second seed and is scheduled to face third-seeded Utah State-Eastern on Thursday in Herriman, Utah. The tournament winners from the semifinals, which include top-seeded Salt Lake facing fourth-seeded Snow, will advance to a championship match next Saturday.
The women's soccer match saw the 12th-ranked Bruins defeat the Cardinals 6-0 to secure the conference title and the top seed in the Region 18 Tournament. Seanna Harris recorded a hat trick and Oakley Zenger contributed one goal and five assists in the win. The loss ended the season for the NIC women's team, which finished with a 10-6-3 record.
In volleyball, the Cardinals' season concluded with a loss to Southern Idaho in Twin Falls. The Golden Eagles defeated NIC 26-24, 22-25, 25-16, 25-22 to secure the Scenic West Athletic Conference win. Freshman Mikayla Esquivel recorded 12 kills and Daphne Neeley recorded 11 digs for the Cardinals during the match.
NIC currently sits in fifth place in the conference, trailing Snow for the final playoff spot. Snow holds the tiebreaker in sets won head-to-head following matches played on Oct. 16 and Oct. 17 in Coeur d'Alene. The conference champion will host the Region 18 Tournament on Nov. 4-5.
Had the men's soccer Cardinals won their matches this week or tied Salt Lake on Saturday, they would have hosted the Region 18 tournaments at the Field of Dreams in Ponderay, according to athletic director Shawn Noel.
The Region 18 Tournament semifinals are scheduled for Thursday in Herriman, Utah.
