POCATELLO − In sports, sometimes a game is decided simply on who wants it more.
On Thursday night at Lookout Field, the Hillcrest Knights girls soccer team wanted it more.
The Knights came from behind twice in 80 minutes, and behind two goals and an assist from senior midfielder Brinley Nelson, they defeated the Pocatello Thunder 3-2, moving them to 5-0-1 and first place in the 5A High Country Conference.
The Knights and Thunder were tied with under 10 minutes to go when Nelson trotted over to the left corner flag and placed the ball down. She swung it into the box, where it found freshman defender Taylee Ricks.
Ricks, who was relentless in the box all night, got there first and powered the shot past the goalkeeper to give the Knights the win.
The Knights came in knowing this was going to be a battle between two of the best teams in the 5A High Country Conference.
"We knew Pocatello was a really good team, and well-coached," Hillcrest head coach Brian Nelson said. "They had that championship pedigree. Some of these girls were on that team a couple years ago that won the state championship, and so we knew that they were going to be tough."
After a tough first half, the Thunder went into the break leading 2-1 following two goals from freshman forward Xavi Griggs, including one with under a minute left that gave Pocatello the lead and the momentum.
"Xavi's only a freshman, so it was huge for her," Pocatello head coach Mark Wetstein said. "The fact that she, as a freshman, showed up and made an impression enough to come in for these big games and score not just once but twice."
The Knights, who had been finding their footing throughout the half after an equalizer from Brinley, went into the locker room with a feeling they hadn't experienced yet this season: trailing on the scoreboard.
"Soccer's physical and technical, but there's that mental side," Brian said. "This is actually the first time this year that we've been down. That shows you who you are when you're down."
At halftime, the coach delivered a message not about tactics or formations, but about a muscle that can't be measured: heart.
"We had a good halftime speech about having a little bit more heart and hustle on the field," Brinley said. "We definitely showed that."
From then on, the Knights were on the front foot.
With their fluidity and connection in their passes and movement off the ball, they started to control the game, and the conductor was Brinley. Everything the Knights did ran through her, and the work paid off.
With 19 minutes to go, another sequence of quick passing and movement put the Knights near the 18-yard box. A clever layoff left Brinley with an open shot, and she didn't miss.
A powerful strike off her right foot floated over the outstretched hands of junior goalkeeper Madysen Torngren, and the game was level.
Both teams were exhausted − physically and mentally − but the Knights remembered the halftime speech to have more heart and give that extra mile.
"Everybody was dead, we had some injuries and were super fatigued," Brinley said. "It just came down to pure mental and heart."
The Knights pushed to that extra level and scored the winner on a connection between the senior and Ricks, the freshman who, even with just six career varsity games, stepped up in the biggest moment.
"This is one of her first games," Brian said. "She stepped up big, and we needed every bit of it."
Brinley echoed that sentiment.
"Taylee's awesome," she said. "She came in as a freshman and played significant minutes for us and really came through as a great player with some big goals in some big games. We love set pieces, and Taylee just gets super hungry in the box, and I'm super proud of her and what she did tonight."
Through the ups and downs, the Knights' connection to each other — from the 12 seniors to the underclassmen — is what drives them. They all want to win, not for themselves, but for one another.
"Our team is super, super close," Brinley said. "We all want it so bad, we want to win for each other, and the younger classmen want to win for the seniors. It definitely pushes us as a team when you want to play for the person next to you, not just yourself."
For the Thunder they are still adjusting to their new conference. Pocatello has opened the season with a 4-2-0 record and is welcoming the challenges the new conference presents.
"These are strong teams. They give us good competition," Wetstein said. "It really allows us to play more of our players. It allows us to adjust some tactics and hopefully iron out some more kinks."
For a program with championship DNA, this loss doesn't change its path toward contending again.
"I can't say it enough how proud I am of my girls," Wetstein said. "There were tears, that's great. It shows just how much they care, and how much they love this sport, and how much they love this program. We're not going away, and I'm super proud of them for that."