Knaff leads Braves to win over Big Sky
The Daily Inter Lake
Playing in his first game of the season, Chreston Knaff led the Flathead High School soccer team to a 5-1 Western AA victory Saturday over Missoula Big Sky.
"(Knaff) provides a lot of energy to our team and he's a skilled player who adds a lot to our speed of play," said Flathead coach Eric Sawtelle.
Knaff played forward and outside midfielder, registering two goals and one assist. He missed Flathead's first two games because he hadn't logged enough practices to be eligible.
Sawtelle said it was a satisfying win for the Braves (2-1, 2-0).
"We played really well (Saturday)," Sawtelle said. "The first 15 minutes or so of the game, we came out and really took charge from the beginning."
Despite spreading the ball well and creating openings in Big Sky's defense, Flathead only led 1-0 at the half. The Braves took the lead in the 27th minute when Connor Cavigli scored off Knaff's assist.
"It was a shooting fest, especially at the beginning of the game - we just couldn't get anything in," Sawtelle said.
Flathead unleashed 28 shots on goal - four of which found the net in the second half.
Knaff scored Flathead's second and third goals thanks to assists by Chris Ruby and Cavigli. Luke Fischer scored the Braves' final two goals off assists from Andrew Gill and Cameron Clevidence.
Lane Hamilton scored on a penalty kick in the 73rd minute for Big Sky's lone goal.
"Our defense played really well again and held strong," Sawtelle said.
Flathead plays at Helena on Thursday before returning home to face Helena Capital on Saturday.
Big Sky 0 1 - 1 Flathead 1 4 - 5
Big Sky - Lane Hamilton, 73:00.
Flathead - Connor Cavigli (Chresten Knaff), 27:00; Knaff (Chris Ruby), 44:00; Knaff (Cavigli), 50:00; Luke Fischer (Andrew Gill), 59:00; Fischer (Cameron Clevidence), 63:00.
Shots on goal - Big Sky 8, Flathead 28.
Corner kicks - Big Sky 4, Flathead 10.
Goalkeeper saves - Big Sky 8 (Andrew Smigaj), Flathead 7 (Jordan Vaughan).
Total fouls - Big Sky 8, Flathead 10
Yellow cards - Big Sky 1 (Dykan Swallow), Flathead 1 (Clevidence).
Red cards - None.
Whitefish 5, Laurel 1
WHITEFISH - Whitefish rallied with four goals in the final half to remain unbeaten on the season.
The Bulldogs and Locomotives were deadlocked at 1-all at the half.
"First time tied at the half (this season)," said Whitefish coach O'Brien Byrd. "A reality check."
Byrd said Laurel opted for a defensive match in the opening half.
"It was obvious they heard about our offensive threat," Byrd said. "They packed 11 players behind the ball. We couldn't figure out how to break through their bunker style defense in the first half."
Byrd said some halftime adjustments paid off.
"We also played a step quick (in the final half)," Byrd said.
"That seems to be all it took."
Ian Hosek scored the first two goals of the match and Alex Konopatzke the final two. Hosek also assisted on a score.
Whitefish (4-0) plays at Bigfork on Thursday, 5:30 p.m., to open conference action.
Laurel 1 0 - 1
Whitefish 1 4 - 5
Laurel - Ryan Adams, pk, 15:40
Whitefish - Ian Hosek (Ryutaro Hisada assist), 5:58; Hosek (Matt Grindrod), 46:16; Patrick Jones (Jake Danczyck), 58:22; Alex Konopatzke (Hosek), 62:57; Konopatzke, 65:02
Shots on goal - Laurel 1, Whitefish 15
Corner kicks - Laurel 0, Whitefish 5
Goalie saves - Laurel 6, Whitefish 0
Fouls - Laurel 10, Whitefish 10
Cards - Laurel yellow, Whitefish yellow
Bigfork 3, Billings Central 1
BIGFORK - The Vikings got their second non-conference win of the weekend.
Bigfork edged Laurel 3-2 at home on Friday.
No other information was reported
Stevensville 2, Libby 1
TROY - "It was a well-played game on both sides," said Libby coach Mike Wickstrom.
Libby (1-2-1) took a 1-0 lead seven minutes into the first half thanks to an unassisted goal by Neil Young and the teams were tied 1-1 at halftime. But the Yellowjackets did a better job converting their second-half opportunities and edged the Loggers.
"That's the way the math works," Wickstrom said.
The Loggers conclude their non-conference schedule on Saturday when they are host to Valley Christian of Missoula.
Stevensville 0 2 - 2
Libby 1 0 - 1
Stevensville - n/a, 13:00; n/a, 50:00.
Libby - Neil Young, 7:00.
Shots on goal - Stevensville 7, Libby 12.
Corner kicks - Stevensville 3, Libby 5.
Goalkeeper saves - Stevensville 5 (Cameron Brewer), Libby 5 (Scott Harlow).
Total fouls - Stevensville n/a, Libby n/a.
Yellow cards - Stevensville 1, Libby 0.
Red cards - None.
Columbia Falls 7, Polson 0
COLUMBIA FALLS - After opening the season with a loss, the defending state champion Columbia Falls Wildcats have now won three straight soccer matches.
Dustin Gibson, Jonathan Torres and D.J. Stoneman all had two goals in whipping Polson.
Travis Pete added the other score.
Stoneman assisted on the first two goals of the match.
Columbia Falls scored three times in the first 22 minutes to take charge immediately. The Wildcats outshot Polson 42-4 for the match and held a 6-2 edge in corner kicks.
Columbia Falls has now scored seven goals in two straight outings.
"A lot of opportunities (today)," said Columbia Falls coach Peter Browne. "The (final) score could have been double that; I'm glad it wasn't."
Gibson leads the Wildcats in scoring to date with six goals. Torres has four.
"Our first week, we started pretty flat," Browne said.
"They improved so much in a week. It was great to score some goals."
Columbia Falls is back in action Saturday, noon, hosting Class AA Missoula Hellgate.
"Hellgate will really test us," said Browne. "Give us an indication of where we are at."
Polson 0 0 - 0
Columbia Falls 3 4 - 7
Columbia Falls - Dustin Gibson (D.J. Stoneman assist),10:00; Jonathan Torres (Stoneman), 13:00; Stoneman (Gibson), 22:00; Gibson (Torres), 42:00; Stoneman, 52:00; Travis Pete, 64:00; Torres, 78:00
Shots on goal - Polson 4, Columbia Falls 42
Corner kicks - Polson 2, Columbia Falls 6
Goalie saves - Polson 24 (David Rathbun), Columbia Falls 5 (George Kimerly)
Fouls - Polson 5, Columbia Falls 10
Cards - None
Flathead 7, Big Sky 1
The Flathead High School girls soccer team allowed its first goal of the season Saturday, but it didn't matter as the Bravettes hammered visiting Missoula Big Sky for a Western AA victory.
Five different players scored goals for the Bravettes (3-0, 2-0), including Heidi Windauer and Meghan O'Connell, who each scored twice for Flathead's final four goals.
"They played all over today," said Flathead coach Scott Warnell. "We came out and just really put the pressure on Big Sky, and just really took it at them and the team played very well."
Ashley Younkin, Maddy Frey and Annie Braseth each scored one goal while Flathead goalkeeper Danika Pietron logged 10 saves.
Keni VanBrunt recorded two assists for Flatead, followed by one each from Braseth, O'Connell and Meagan Hash.
Big Sky's goal came in the 52nd minute when Ali Dombrouski scored with Flathead already leading 5-0.
"I think we just had a letdown at that point in the game and allowed them to put a little bit of pressure on us and they got a shot and it went in," Warnell said.
Warnell was surprised his team handled Big Sky so easily, considering the Eagles' reputation for tough, hard-nosed play.
"I was actually expecting Big Sky to come out and be a little bit more physical than they were, and as it turns out, we were more physical than them," Warnell said.
Flathead committed six fouls compared to zero for Big Sky.
Flathead's next game is 5:30 p.m. on Thursday at Helena. Helena tied Big Sky 3-3 last week.
Big Sky 0 1 - 1
Flathead 4 3 - 7
Big Sky - Ali Dombrouski, 52:00.
Flathead - Ashley Younkin (Keni VanBrunt), 10:00; Maddy Frey (Annie Braseth) 15:00; Braseth (Meghan O'Connell), 22:00; Heidi Windauer, 30:00; Windauer (Meagan Hash), 44:00; O'Connell, 65:00; O'Connell (VanBrunt), 72:00.
Shots on Goal - Big Sky 12, Flathead 33.
Corner kicks - Big SKy 4, Flathead 2.
Goalkeeper saves - Big Sky 10 (Allison Cowan), Flathead 10 (Danika Pietron).
Total fouls - Big Sky 0, Flathead 6.
Yellow cards - None.
Red cards - None.
Stevensville 3, Libby 1
TROY - Libby evened its non-conference record to 2-2 after the loss.
The Loggers scored in the 70th minute on Kaila Forster's unassisted goal. Libby tallied 10 shots on goal and goalkeeper Christina Shilling made five saves.
Libby beat Polson 1-0 on Thursday with Anna Valentine scoring the decisive goal in the 25th minute.
Libby plays again on Friday against Bonners Ferry, Idaho, at Troy Field. It will be Libby's final non-conference game.
Stevensville 1 2 - 3
Libby 0 1 - 1
Stevensville - n/a.
Libby - Kaila Forster, 70:00.
Shots on goal - Stevensville n/a, Libby 10.
Corner kicks - Stevensville n/a, Libby 4.
Goalkeeper saves - Stevensville n/a, Libby 5 (Christina Shilling).
Total fouls - Stevensville n/a, Libby 5.
Yellow cards - None.
Red cards - None.
Billings Central 6, Bigfork 1
BIGFORK - Bigfork suffered its second non-conference loss in two days.
Bigfork also lost to Laurel 5-1 at home on Friday.
"We just made mental mistakes," said Bigfork coach Steve Koch. "We were in both matches, but the score doesn't indicate that."
Koch said he was encouraged by Bigfork's performance because it is easier to correct the mental mistakes his players made than to teach them fundamental techniques all over again.
No other information was reported.
Whitefish 3, Laurel 0
WHITEFISH - Whitefish evened its record in non-conference action with the victory.
The Bulldogs (2-2) did all of their scoring in the first 16 minutes of the match with Jen Joern and Kelsey McCluskey teaming up for two goals.
The first came just three minutes into play when Joern took a perfect through ball from McCluskey to the net. They did it again six minutes later with a little give-and-go maneuver.
Kaitlin Schleichter finished the scoring at 16 minutes off a feed by Hannah Long.
"We played a little better heads-up, moved off the ball better," said Whitefish coach Lini Reading. "We're still trying to find the magic lineup.
"I think the kids enjoyed the game today," Reading continued.
"Both teams worked hard. It was definitely good to get the win after a frustrating yesterday (1-0 loss to Billings Central on Friday)."
Whitefish keeper Kirstin NallyMadigan received a red card in the first half, forcing the Bulldogs to move Carly Lengstorf in goal for the final half and play one player short. NallyMadigan will miss Thursday's conference opener at Bigfork, 3:30 p.m.
Laurel 0 0 - 0
Whitefish 3 0 - 3
Whitefish - Jen Joern (Kelsey McCluskey assist), 3:00; Joern (McCluskey), 9:00; Hannah Long (Kaitlin Sleichter), 16:00
Shots on goal - Laurel 5, Whitefish 25
Corner kicks - Laurel 3, Whitefish 6
Goalie saves - Laurel 25 (Jacque Walters), Whitefish 3 (Kirstin NallyMadigan, Carly Lengstorf)
Fouls - Laurel 12, Whitefish 7
Cards - Laurel, yellow; Whitefish red (NallyMadigan)
Columbia Falls 6, Polson 0
COLUMBIA FALLS - Ashley Horine scored twice and Alona Raymond assisted on the first two goals as Columbia Falls blanked Polson.
Columbia Falls tallied five scores in the opening half.
"We played really good in the first half," said Columbia Falls coach Greg Trenerry.
"Did a lot of subs in the second half, got everybody in."
Columbia Falls outshot Polson 27-4 for the match and led in corner kicks 12-0.
Trenerry said goalie Colyne Hislop "had two really good ones (saves) right at the end to preserve the shutout." She finished with three for the match.
"We're happy with what we're doing right now, at this point of the year," Trenerry said.
Columbia Falls (4-0) hosts Class AA Missoula Hellgate on Saturday, 2 p.m.
Polson 0 0 - 0
Columbia Falls 5 1 - 6
Columbia Falls - Ashley Horine (Alona Raymond assist), 4:00; Jenny Valov (Raymond), 8:00; Jessica Boyer (Kate Anderson), 21:00; Amber Lampman (Boyer), 26:00; Horine (Lampman), 38:00; Beth Karper (Horine), 53:00.
Shots on goal - Polson 4, Columbia Falls 27
Corner kicks - Polson 0, Columbia Falls 12
Goalie saves - Polson 14 (Merilee Mowbray), Columbia Falls 3 (Colyne Hislop)
Fouls - Polson 7, Columbia Falls 2