With less than a minute to go in Friday's girls' soccer match, Pocatello senior Andrea Beseris sliced through the Preston defense.

She dribbled right, went back to the left, put herself in position for the equalizing goal and then … the shot rolled right into the waiting arms of Preston goalkeeper Kalie Brackin.

That sequence provided a microcosm of the northern Indians' 2-1 loss to their visitor from the south at Hawthorne Field. Time after time in the second half, Pocatello charged hard at Preston's goal, but each time Brackin was there for the save or the shot sailed high or wide.

"It was a little embarrassing, and it reflects on the coach," Pocatello coach Doug Merkley said. "The coach doesn't seem to be able to have his kids get the ball past the keeper on a simple 1-v-1."

While pleased with the win, Preston coach Dee Dee Ford was almost as frustrated as her counterpart at the number of opportunities her defense allowed.

"I don't know if our girls were tired or if they were just falling apart mentally," Ford said. "It concerned me a little bit, and it makes me want to get on the field myself."

Obviously, the coach couldn't step onto the pitch, but luckily for her and the visiting Indians, they had Brackin in goal.

The senior turned back countless shots in the second half while staring directly into the blinding western sun.

"It's the adrenaline rush that keeps you going after ball after ball," Brackin said. "It keeps you running. It's not even something you have to think about with the adrenaline rush."

While Pocatello controlled possession for the majority of the match, Preston struck first, well before half of the fans in attendance settled in.

In the first minute, sophomore Regan Hyde slipped behind the Pocatello defense on the left side of the penalty area and put a slow rolling shot just inside the far post before goalkeeper Jennifer Goettsche could pounce on it.

"It was definitely a confidence booster for our girls," Ford said of the early goal. "It was kind of a lucky shot, but it definitely helps with the morale overall."

In the 46th minute, Pocatello appeared to equalize when Brackin couldn't corral a shot by Beseris. Senior Annelise Stewart swooped in and put the rebound past Brackin, but the side judge ruled Stewart offsides, negating the goal.

Perhaps the best chance for the Gate City Indians to tie things up after that came in the 52nd minute when sophomore Rachel Fisher found an opening in Preston's defense from about 15 yards out. Fisher's shot made it over Brackin's outstretched arms, but the ball slammed hard into the crossbar and bounced harmlessly away.

"It's scary 'cause you don't know if it's going in or going up," Brackin said, "and then you have to find it."

The visiting Indians appeared to ice the game in the 69th minute when Hyde launched a long shot on goal that Goettsche couldn't handle. Pocatello's defense gave up on the play, but Preston's Whitney Alder didn't. She tracked down the rebound and put into the goal to give the visitors a 2-0 advantage.

Not even a minute later, though, the home team set up a nerve-racking finish for Preston when freshman Amanda Rogers blasted a shot on goal that bounced off Brackin and into the net to make it 2-1.

With the win, Preston is now 7-1-0 overall and 1-1-0 in 4A Fifth District play. The Indians' two remaining district matches are on their home field.

"We're very confident," Brackin said, "but we don't want to get overconfident."

Pocatello dropped to 5-3-1 and 0-2-0. It'll host district rival Century on Tuesday.

"The good news is," Merkley said, "we have plenty of time to improve and peak."