Crosstown soccer split for Flathead, Glacier
In the three weeks since practice started for Flathead’s girls soccer team, the Bravettes didn’t get a chance to work on set pieces until Thursday and Friday.
That work came in the nick of time as Flathead needed two goals from set pieces to edge Glacier 2-1 in Saturday’s crosstown rivalry game at Glacier High School.
“We just started working on (set pieces) this week,” Flathead coach Scott Warnell said. “At the beginning of the year you have a lot to work on technical-wise and formation-wise, so we just got around to it at the end of the week.”
Both Flathead goals came from the right foot of center back Malia Ozegovich, who blasted a free kick into Glacier’s wall of defenders, then slotted the rebound inside the near post in the 27th minute to give the Bravettes a 1-0 lead.
Seven minutes later, Ozegovich curled a free kick from 35 yards out that looked headed wide before spinning inside the far post.
“I thought it was going to go out, but I saw it drop and got really excited,” Ozegovich said.
Flathead (2-0) hasn’t lost to Glacier (0-2) in three years, and Ozegovich said she stressed the importance of keeping that streak alive to her teammates.
“I told them before the game that we don’t lose this game,” she said. “It means a ton. I know all those girls over there so it feels good.”
The intensity of the rivalry was evident in the game’s physicality, as players from both teams weren’t afraid to bang bodies.
Glacier controlled possession much of the opening 20 minutes and had success working the ball up the right flank, but didn’t create many scoring chances because Ozegovich and the Flathead back line repeatedly intercepted Glacier’s crosses.
Flathead seized the lion’s share of possession shortly before Ozegovich’s first goal, but didn’t create a threatening chance from the run of play until the last minute of the first half when Anna Milheim hit a left-footed shot that was saved by Glacier goalkeeper Shaniya Carey.
“The kids just settled down,” Warnell said of his team’s improvement late in the first half. “It’s a very emotional game for both sides, and they just weathered that storm Glacier put on us and settled in and started playing our game.”
Glacier’s goal came in the 39th minute when Sara Burch tucked a free kick under the cross bar, but that came after the Wolfpack had already conceded both of Ozegovich’s goals.
“Our midfield decided to try to dribble and they got away from our two-touch game,” Glacier coach Brenden Byrd said. “When we went away from that we couldn’t play our game.”
Neither team scored in the second half, but both had chances. Flathead fed three through balls to speedy forward Paige Birky early in the half, but none resulted in a shot on frame.
Glacier’s Madison Zirker made a run to the corner with 14:30 remaining, but her cross was cut off by Ozegovich. The Wolfpack had another chance a minute later when Burch lined up a long free kick, but her shot rattled off the crossbar.
Flathead’s best second-half scoring chance came with 10 minutes to go when Carey punched a free kick by Ozegovich over the bar.
“There were a lot of nervous moments in the second half,” Warnell said.
“Glacier’s a good team, they’re very well coached and I’m just glad our kids stepped up and were able to fight through it.”
Ozegovich said winning the rivalry game gives the Bravettes a confidence boost going forward.
“I think this was a good start to our season,” she said.
“We’re a lot more confident now that we won this game.”
Flathead 2 0 — 2
Glacier 1 0 — 1
F - Malia Ozegovich, free kick, 27:00
F - Ozegovich, free kick, 34:00
G - Sara Burch, free kick, 39:00
Shots on goal — Flathead 9, Glacier 14
Goalie saves — Flathead 13 (Payton Pietron), Glacier 7 (Shaniya Carey)
Corner kicks — Flathead 2, Glacier 0
Fouls — NA
Cards — None
Boys
Glacier 3, Flathead 2
A late penalty-kick goal by Matt Peters lifted Glacier’s boys to a win over Flathead.
The win was Glacier’s ninth straight against its crosstown rival, and improved the Wolfpack’s record to 2-0 on the season.
“We haven’t started 2-0 in a long time,” Glacier midfielder Jake Lockwood said.
“I feel like that’s a huge morale builder for our team, as well as simply showing that we’re here to compete in the conference and not sit back and come out with a tie against our crosstown rivals.”
With the score tied 2-2 at the half, Glacier opened the second with a flurry of shots, but struggled to put them on frame as its first three attempts after the break all sailed over the crossbar. Peters finally put a shot on goal in the 46th minute, but it was turned aside by Flathead goalkeeper Seaman Clark.
“For some reason we seemed to be putting the ball off the goal and over the goal,” Glacier coach Ryan O’Rourke said.
“It’s tougher when you have a team like Flathead that pressures quickly. Then the guys have to try to get shots off quickly.”
Glacier continued to control the run of play but it didn’t break through until it was awarded a penalty kick in the 69th minute, which Peters slotted into the bottom-right corner of the net.
“We had been pushing the whole half and were just looking for that one chance, and we finally found it,” Lockwood said.
The first half was played at a hectic pace with both teams creating numerous chances.
Aided by a strong wind blowing south to north, Flathead’s Monte White scored a free kick less than four minutes into the game to give the Braves a lead.
A pair of deflections allowed Glacier to take a 2-1 lead later in the half. A 19th-minute free kick by Tanner Maroney took a slight deflection off a Flathead player and flew inside the far post into the side netting. Ten minutes later, Peters fed a short pass to Lockwood at the edge of the 18-yard box, and Lockwood unleashed a shot that skipped off a defender and into the net.
Flathead didn’t take long to answer. In the 32nd minute, Caleb Buxton hit a cross into the Glacier 6-yard box, which the goalkeeper mishandled and played into his own net.
After the fast-paced first half, Lockwood said the Wolfpack needed to slow down the pace and do a better job possessing the ball.
“We knew that it was hectic, we discussed it, and we knew we just needed to settle down and find our game,” Lockwood said.
Kicking into the teeth of the wind, Flathead had trouble clearing the ball out of its defensive third in the second half, but it was bailed out by Glacier’s errant shots and a big save by Clark, who was playing his first-ever soccer game.
“He did an amazing job in goal and saved some goals for us,” Flathead coach Chris Putzler said.
Clark’s biggest save came at the 54-minute mark when he made a diving stop to deny Peters from 6-yards out.
Putzler said fatigue may have been a reason why his team faded in the second half as the Braves had played in Missoula just two days earlier.
“We had enough energy to play tough in the first half,” he said.
“The second half we didn’t have the same fire.”
Flathead 2 0 — 2
Glacier 2 1 — 3
F - Monte White, free kick, 3:00
G - Tanner Maroney, free kick, 19:00
G - Jake Lockwood (Matt Peters), 29:00
F - Caleb Buxton, 32:00
G - Peters, penalty kick, 69:00
Shots on goal — Flathead 9, Glacier 21.
Goalie Saves — Flathead 8 (Seaman Clark), Glacier 9 (Ryker McIntyre 8, Riley O’Neal 1)
Corner kicks — Flathead 5, Glacier 5
Fouls — Flathead 10, Glacier 9
Cards — Flathead 1 yellow