Tough go for Wolfpack at state soccer

Glacier’s spirited comeback bid came up a little short in a 2-1 loss to Bozeman in the first round of the Class AA girls state soccer tournament Thursday at a cold, windy Kidsports Complex.

Victimized by a penalty kick that put Glacier (5-8-1) behind 2-0 in the 65th minute, the Wolfpack bullied Eastern AA’s top seed with its physicality and controlled the tempo for the remaining 15 minutes.

Glacier forward Kendall Halliburton gave the Wolfpack hope in the 75th minute when she ran onto a through ball from Anna Deleray and scorched the upper-left netting from 12 yards out, but Glacier ran out of time to complete the comeback.

“Some teams could’ve packed up and been done right there,” Glacier coach Brenden Byrd said of the penalty kick goal that put his team behind 2-0. “Instead the girls dug deep and fought the last 10 minutes. They put in everything they had to make sure everyone here knew that they deserved to go through (to the second round).”

Glacier created two great chances in the last minute. Halliburton had the first attempt at an equalizer, but sent a 16-yard volley wide. Deleray took a shot from 10 yards out, but it was blocked on the goal line by Bozeman defender Terra Sharp.

“Bozeman’s an amazing team,” Byrd said. “They control the midfield amazingly, they spread it wide. They really made us work, but the girls were up for the challenge. We just put in a physical, hard game and we stuck with it until the very last minute.”

Glacier held most of the possession in the opening 20 minutes and forced Bozeman goalkeeper Devan Murfitt to make three saves before the 12-minute mark. The Wolfpack’s aggressive start led to three corner kicks and two free kicks, but Glacier didn’t create many chances from the run of play.

Bozeman (12-1-0) opened the scoring in the 21st minute when Katelyn Megargel placed a shot around charging Glacier goalkeeper Shaniya Carey and inside the far post.

Glacier nearly equalized on a 28th-minute counter-attack. Deleray put a shot on frame from the left flank but Halliburton overran the play and couldn’t tap in the rebound.

Deleray put her head on a 40-yard free kick from Sara Burch in the 40th minute, but nodded the ball over the crossbar.

Bozeman’s passing improved early in the second half, allowing the Hawks to control the ball in their middle and attacking thirds. The result was three corner kicks and a dangerous cross in the first 20 minutes after halftime.

The Hawks were rewarded for their effort in the 65th minute. Burch dispossessed a Bozeman attacker inside the 18-yard box, but Bozeman was awarded a penalty kick and Elizabeth Swoboda converted to give the Hawks a 2-0 lead.

Both teams got physical the last 15 minutes. Glacier’s Dani Crandell and Zoe Breeding each received yellow cards, but the aggressive soccer favored the Wolfpack, which had the majority of the scoring chances down the stretch.

“We kind of took them out of rhythm a little bit,” Byrd said. “Not cheap, but just little bumps and taps. They started bumping a bit too and they gave away some stupid fouls. We got some great looks on free kicks.”

While it conceded one goal in the 75th minute, the Bozeman defense survived the Glacier onslaught to secure a spot in today’s semifinal against Great Falls C.M. Russell at 1:30 p.m.

“I think we let them back into the game,” Bozeman coach Erika Cannon said. “We took our foot off the gas a little, but the weather kind of came into it, and there was a little bit of physical play that played into it. I thought we did well. Glacier pressured us hard.”

Despite entering the game with a superior record, Cannon said she knew Glacier would be a tough opponent.

“I thought at times we did a great job passing and dominated, but we let them have a few chances on counter-attacks.”

Glacier plays Missoula Sentinel today at 11 a.m. for a spot in the 5th-place game.

Bozeman 1 1 — 2

Glacier 0 1 — 1

Boz - Katelyn Megargel (assist Zori Oberle), 21:00

Boz - Elizabeth Swoboda, penalty kick, 65:00

Gla - Kendall Halliburton (assist Anna Deleray), 75:00

Shots - Bozeman 4, Glacier 4. Saves - Not available. Corner kicks - Bozeman 6, Glacier 4. Yellow cards - Bozman 1, Glacier 3. Red cards - none.

Helena High 1 (2), Billings Skyview 1 (1)

Western AA top seed Helena bested Skyview 2-1 in a penalty kick shootout to advance to the semifinals.

Both goalkeepers made two saves in the shootout, but Helena’s Emily Spindler and Shelby Pugh each put their penalty kicks past Skyview goalkeeper Annie Warner while Skyview’s first two shooters each hit a post.

Helena plays Billings Senior today at 1:30 p.m.

Skyview will take on Helena Capital today at 11 a.m. in a consolation match.

Helena High 1 0 — 1 (2)

Billings Skyview 1 0 — 1 (1)

Sky - Shelby Guelff, 31:00

Hel - Callie Kanthack, 34:00

Penalty shootout

Helena - Madison Therriault (saved), Emily Spindler (goal), Jennifer Fife (saved), Shelby Pugh (goal), Callie Kanthack (miss).

Skyview - Abby Ketterling (miss), Bethany Irion (miss), No name (goal), Caylin Cathey (saved), Shelby Guelff (saved).

Shots - Helena 5, Skyview 10. Saves - Helena 9 (Shanna Floerschinger), Skyview 3 (Annie Warner). Yellow cards - none. Red cards - none.

Great Falls CMR 3, Missoula Sentinel 0

CMR blanked Sentinel to advance to the semifinals.

Anna Weber and Talya Vaira each scored in the first half to get the Rustlers off to a fast start. McKenzie Weber added an insurance goal in the second half.

CMR plays Bozeman today at 1:30 p.m. Sentinel will look to keep its season alive in a consolation match against Glacier today at 11 a.m.

Great Falls CMR 2 1 — 3

Missoula Sentinel 0 0 — 0

CMR - Anna Weber, 1st half

CMR - Talya Vaira, 1st half

CMR - McKenzie Weber, 2nd half

Shots - CMR 12, Sentinel 11. Saves - CMR 6 (Gwen Malisani), Sentinel 8 (Jessica Henning). Yellow cards - none. Red cards - none.

Billings Senior 4,

Helena Capital 0

Defending state champion Billings Senior entered the state tournament as the highest-scoring team in the state and showed why in a win over Capital.

Senior scored twice in each half and kept a clean sheet to earn the most lopsided win of the first round.

Senior will take on Helena High at 1:30 p.m. today in a semifinal match. Capital will play a consolation match against Skyview at 11 a.m.

Helena Capital 0 0 — 0

Billings Senior 2 2 — 4

Sen - Rachel Koehler, 8:00

Sen - Alex Harvey, 32:00

Sen - Harvey, 56:00

Sen - Gabi Heflin, 63:00

Shots - Capital 7, Senior 20. Saves - Capital 9 (Kyra Dorvall), Senior 6 (Sara Heard). Yellow cards - none. Red cards - none.