Flathead, Glacier soccer fall at state
The Daily Inter Lake
HELENA - It was a rough opening day for Kalispell's three Class AA state soccer tournament representatives as each squad fell out of title contention Thursday with first-round losses.
The two-time defending state champion Flathead Braves saw their three-peat bid end with a 5-2 defeat to Bozeman.
The Bravettes entered the tournament undefeated, but lost a 2-1 heartbreaker to Billings West.
Glacier's girls received a rude awakening in their first state appearance, dropping an 8-0 match to Bozeman.
The squads take the pitch today in loser-out action, looking to earn berths in Saturday's consolation games.
Bozeman 5, Flathead 2 (boys)
In a rematch of last year's title game, the Braves sprinted out of the gate, only to see their comfortable lead evaporate in the second half.
Chresten Knaff and Brian Ham scored first-half goals as Flathead took a 2-0 advantage into the break.
But Bozeman exploded with two quick second-half goals by David Driscoll before seizing the lead - and momentum - on Nicholas Epple's 52nd-minute penalty kick.
"Right off the bat, the tempo was very fast-paced, and it was a physical game," Braves coach Eric Sawtelle said. "Our boys came out very strong. We were connecting passes and really pressuring them offensively."
Driscoll scored in the 45th and 47th minutes, and Bozeman iced the game with two goals in the final 10 minutes.
"They had a lot of speed out there, and we just had a hard time keeping up with it," Sawtelle said. "It was almost like our boys were in shock a little bit."
Knaff and Luke Fischer had Flathead's assists as the Braves (9-5) were out-shot 15-10.
Flathead was called for 23 fouls compared to five for Bozeman.
The Braves face Billings Skyview at 10 this morning in loser-out action. With a victory in that contest, they would advance to today's 2 p.m. match against the loser of this morning's Billings West-Helena Capital semifinal.
"They feel very determined to come out and have a strong game (this morning)," Sawtelle said of the Braves. "I think with the pride that these players have, we'll come out and play extremely hard (today), and I think we'll have a very positive day."
Flathead 2 0 - 2
Bozeman 0 5 - 5
FLATHEAD - Chresten Knaff (Luke Fischer), 7:00; Brian Ham (Knaff), 32:00
BOZEMAN - David Driscoll (NA), 45:00; Driscoll (NA), 47:00; Nicholas Epple (penalty kick), 52:00; NA, 70:00; NA, 72:00
Shots on goal - FHS 10, Boze. 15
Corner kicks - FHS 2, Boze. 6
Goalie saves - FHS 8 (Jordan Vaughan), Boze. 5 (Michael DeHaan)
Fouls - FHS 23, Boze. 5
Cards - FHS 1 (yellow), Boze. 0
Billings West 2,
Flathead 1 (girls)
The Bravettes (8-1-4) controlled much of the game, but Danielle Muri scored from 30 yards out in the 76th minute to help the Golden Bears advance.
Heidi Windauer scored off a Meghan O'Connell assist as Flathead tied the game at 1-all in the 29th minute.
"It was a hard-fought battle between the two of us," Bravettes coach Scott Warnell said. "We needed to capitalize on the opportunities we had, and we just didn't do that today."
Flathead keeper Danika Pietron tallied nine saves as the Bravettes were narrowly out-shot 11-9.
The Bravettes face Helena Capital today at noon in loser-out action. The winner of that game moves on to today's 4 p.m. match against the loser of today's Bozeman-Great Falls CMR semifinal.
"We've just got to reset our goals and look to have a good three-game series here," Warnell said. "We've got two games (today) that will be tough, but we've just got to come out and play well and look for the third-place game."
Billings West 1 1 - 2
Flathead 1 0 - 1
WEST - Danielle Muri (Jessica Leslie), 6:00; Muri, 76:00
FLATHEAD - Heidi Windauer (Meghan O'Connell), 29:00
Shots on goal - West 11, FHS 9
Corner kicks - West 6, FHS 2
Goalie saves - West 7 (NA), FHS 9 (Danika Pietron)
Fouls - West 13, FHS 7
Cards - None
Bozeman 8, Glacier 0 (girls)
The young Wolfpack couldn't recover from the Hawks' early onslaught.
Bozeman scored two goals in the first nine minutes, building a 3-0 halftime lead before pulling away in the second half.
Glacier (3-10-1) played extremely well for the final 30 minutes of the first half, but Bozeman's 25 shots on goal proved too much to overcome.
"They were a better team than I thought," Holmgren said of the Hawks.
"They were doing some things you don't see in high school much, as far as their level of play goes."
Glacier's bright spots included 13 saves by Kayla Byle and solid pressure by Maddey Frey, Sydney Sharaf and Skyler St. Onge.
The Wolfpack begins its quest for third place today in a noon loser-out game against Missoula Big Sky. Glacier had plenty of success against the Eagles in Western AA play, beating them once before tying them to end the regular season.
"We know what they play like," Holmgren said. "We're excited to play them down here."
A Glacier victory would put the Wolfpack in today's 4 p.m. match against the loser of today's Billings West-Billings Senior semifinal.
Glacier 0 0 - 0
Bozeman 3 5 - 8
BOZEMAN - Allie Wisner (Tess Hagenlock), 3:00; Lauren Hickok, 9:00; Britta Hjalmarsson (Katie Rodriguez), 36:00; Kirsten Tilleman (Amanda Jo Manfredi), 44:00; Dorais Richard (Manfredi), 49:00; Wisner (Richard), 54:00; Hjalmarsson, 62:00; Jenna Hjalmarsson, 68:00
Shots on goal - Gla. 6, Boze. 25
Corner kicks - Gla. 1, Boze. 5
Goalie saves - Gla. 13 (Kayla Byle), Boze. 5 (Jordan Simkins 2, Shayne Bryan 3)
Fouls - Gla. 4, Boze. 4
Cards - None