Flathead splits with Big Sky

The Flathead boys rolled to an impressive 7-1 win over Big Sky on Thursday in Western AA soccer, while the girls came up just short in a 2-1 loss.

Flathead 7, Big Sky 1

Midway through the second half of a match Flathead thoroughly dominated, one question remained: Would Braves goalie Jordan Remington touch the ball?

That question was answered at the 65-minute mark when Remington recorded his lone save of the contest. He did get his hands on the ball a time or two more, and Big Sky even managed a goal off a free kick from just outside the penalty box late in the game, but Remington's lonely afternoon on his half of the field typified Flathead's dominance.

Big Sky's freshman goal keeper Lucas Wittkopp wasn't as lucky. Flathead peppered his goal with 40 shots.

Flathead had nine corner kicks in the contest and it seemed the Braves connected for a header that just missed nearly every time.

Flathead jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first five minutes. Cody Morritt hit Cameron Clevidence with a nice lead pass just three minutes into the contest. Clevidence made a nice move in the box to shake one Big Sky defender, then left footed a shot into the net. Morritt added the second goal minutes later off a pass from Jesse Bennett.

Things got so easy, the Braves may have lost their focus.

"We got those first two goals and the whole team got a little greedy there," said Flathead coach Chris Putzler. "That's what we talked about at halftime, work the ball and make opportunities for ourselves instead of just pound, pound, pound."

While the Braves were rolling, Big Sky's offense consisted primarily of booting the ball across the midfield line only to watch unchallenged Flathead defenders drive it right back into the gut of the Eagle defense.

Kalispell got two more goals in the first half. Clevidence scored off a Bennett assist on a breakaway, beating Wittkopp, who made a late decision to challenge the ball. And Kyle Dixon scored an unassisted goal when he drove the ball from outside the penalty box through the Big Sky defense for a point-blank shot at the goal.

In the second half, Flathead added to the lead. Clevidence scored for the hat trick on a ball Wittkopp seemed to save, but then mishandled allowing a goal. Morritt scored his second goal off a free kick from Dixon, and Clevidence hit Chase Jordt with a nice centering pass for the Braves' final score.

Big Sky 0 1 - 1

Flathead 4 3 - 7

Big Sky - Mitch Speltz 73:00

Flathead - Cameron Clevidence (Cody Morritt) 3:00, Morritt (Jesse Bennett) 5:00, Clevidence (Bennett) 15:00, Kyle Dixon 13:00, Clevidence (Bennett) 49:00, Morritt (Dixon) 62:00 , Chase Jordt (Clevidence) 70:00

Shots on goal - Big Sky 7 , Flathead 40

Goalie saves - Big Sky 11 (Lucas Wittkopp), Flathead 1 (Jordan Remington)

Corner kicks - Big Sky 0, Flathead 9

Fouls - Big Sky 1, Flathead 9

Cards - Big Sky 0, Flathead 0

Big Sky 2, Flathead 1

The Flathead Bravettes had their chances, but came up just short.

Flathead had 20 shots on goal, including a couple of oh-so-close breakaways late in the game.

"We were unlucky there at the end," said Flathead coach Scott Warnell. "When we settled down and passed we played well."

Playing from behind most of the way, the Bravettes picked up their lone goal at the 78-minute mark when Heidi Windauer took a pass from Chelsea Shuman near the top of the penalty box and scored.

But by then the Bravettes had dug too deep a hole. Big Sky claimed the lead in the first half when midfielder Sierra Smith drove a shot from well outside the penalty box into the upper corner of the net. That was it for the scoring until the 75-minute mark, when Leigh Torceletti got behind the Flathead defense on a breakaway, and beat goal keeper Karli Kusler for the goal.

By then Warnell had already moved sweeper Tess Brenneman up to offense in a last-ditch effort to get the tie, or win.

The Bravettes had a couple of chances, including a breakaway when Windauer had a shot at tying the score. But the Flathead forward never got a clean shot on the play and got up from the scrum in front of the net slowly, holding her arm.

The game ended just moments after Shuman - who has been slowed by the knee she sprained in Flathead's win over Glacier last week - fired a free kick toward the Big Sky goal. The Bravettes didn't get a shot off on the play as the referee blew the whistle to end it.

Big Sky 1 1 - 2

Flathead 0 1 - 1

Big Sky - Sierra Smith 12:00, Leigh Torceletti 75:00

Flathead - Heidi Windauer (Chelsea Shuman) 78:00

Shots on goal - Big Sky 8 , Flathead 20

Goalie saves - Big Sky 16 (Shelby Quamme), Flathead 11 (Karli Kusler)

Corner kicks - Big Sky 1, Flathead 3

Fouls - Big Sky 15, Flathead 12

Cards - Big Sky 0, Flathead 0