Belgrade tops Whitefish to win first Class A title

Panthers state champs just six years after fielding first soccer team

It was a performance that would have made "American Idol" castoff William Hung proud.

Minutes after defeating Whitefish 1-0 on Saturday for the school's first-ever Class A title, members of Belgrade's girls soccer team gathered on the field and began to sing along with a familiar tune playing from a nearby car stereo.

Actually, the Panthers didn't so much sing as scream the chorus from Queen's "We Are the Champions." And it was music to everyone's ears.

"This is such an amazing feeling," said sophomore forward Lauren Hagel, who scored the game's lone goal in the 59th minute. "It hasn't even hit me yet. I still can't believe it.

"Belgrade soccer has never been big before, but now it will."

Indeed, the Panthers are now in select company as only the fifth team to win a Class A title. Sure, soccer's second class has only had five state tournaments, but it took baseball's Houston Astros more than four decades to even reach their first World Series. Belgrade is now a state champion just six years after fielding its first team.

Head coach Jacobus Hollewijn has been the coach since the program's inception, and he's elated that the long journey is finally over.

"It's unreal," the coach said. "The enthusiasm has always been there, but we struggled early to find the talent we needed. We've gone through such a tough road to get here, beating two No. 1 seeds (Hamilton and Columbia Falls) and another good team in Whitefish, and now the girls are the state champs."

The first time the teams played back in September they wore out the back of the net, scoring eight combined goals in a 4-4 tie. Today, scoring was at a premium as the game went into halftime scoreless despite some missed opportunities on both sides.

Then, Hagel got her chance. Taking a feed from junior Emily Linn, Hagel beat her defender and found herself with a clear shot on Whitefish junior keeper Kirstin NallyMadigan from about 15 yards out. NallyMadigan appeared to turn away the shot with her foot, but it deflected off the left post and ran almost parallel to the goal line before reaching the back of the goal.

"It was crazy," Hagel said of her goal. "I was trying to toe-poke it in, then the goalie notched it off and I didn't know what was happening until I saw it go in."

Even NallyMadigan was taken aback by the shot as she twisted around in an attempt to locate the ball after it hit the post.

"After it hit the post I thought it would go out," said NallyMadigan, who made 11 saves in the contest. "I didn't set my feet on the play and if I had (dived) for it it wouldn't have gone in."

Belgrade goalkeeper Emily Schmit made the goal stand up, though not without some close calls. Just over a minute after Hagel's tally, Whitefish's Mariah Driscoll shot one just wide of the net. In the 64th minute, Bulldogs forward Carmel Johnston's shot hit hard off the right post and deflected wide.

"I was so worried because she (Johnston) was coming right at me," said Schmit, a freshman. "Then I was like, 'It better not go in,' then it hit the post."

Schmit made 13 saves in the game as the Panthers improved their final mark to 8-2-2.

"She's only a freshman and she did such an amazing job today," Hagel said. "And the defense in front of her (seniors Stacie Johnson and Lyndsay Marks and sophomore Yvette Waters) did such a great job."

The fact that one post shot deflected in and another went just wide illustrates how close this match was, according to Whitefish coach Lini Reading.

"The game could have gone either way," she said. "I'm a little disappointed by the loss, but it was still a great day and I'm real proud of my girls. And I'm also happy for Belgrade. It's exciting for the east side (of Montana) to get a title."

This may have been Belgrade's first state title but it may not be its last. Though the Panthers lose a pair of experienced starters in Johnson and Marks to graduation, everyone else will return.

"I have no doubt that we'll be back next year," Hagel said. "Hopefully, we can do as well."

And they may see some familiar faces in next year's title match as Whitefish will return everyone from a squad that finished 2005 with a 10-4-1 record. The Bulldogs should also be bolstered by the return of junior co-captain Jen Joern, who missed the entire postseason with torn ankle ligaments. In all, eight Whitefish players missed time due to injury.

"She's a locomotive in the middle for us," Whitefish coach Lini Reading said of Joern. "It will definitely help to get our best player back next year. We have a lot of young kids who want to get better and, hopefully, they'll continue to work on that.

"It should be exciting."

PANTHERS 1, BULLDOGS 0

Belgrade 0 1 - 1

Whitefish 0 0 - 0

Belgrade - 59:00, Lauren Hager (Emily Linn)

Shots on goal - Belgrade 12, Whitefish 13

Corner kicks - Belgrade 4, Whitefish 9

Goalie saves - Belgrade 13 (Emily Schmit), Whitefish 11 (Kirstin NallyMadigan)