Girls soccer: Bravettes state bound
<p>Flathead junior keeper Zoe Zander makes a save Thursday afternoon during Flathead's 3-2 playoff victory over Missoula Big Sky at Kidsports Complex.</p>
<p>Flathead junior Monica White (left) and senior Paige Birky celebrate the game-winning goal Thursday afternoon during Flathead's 3-2 playoff victory over Missoula Big Sky at Kidsports Complex.</p>
Emotion. Drama. Late heroics.
The girls soccer state tournament play-in game between Flathead and Missoula Big Sky delivered it all.
Big Sky (2-8-3) erased a two-goal deficit in the second half and had Flathead pinned in its own end when a quick counter-attack reversed the game’s momentum and gave a senior striker a chance to shine.
Paige Birky, Flathead’s leading scorer throughout the regular season, sent the game-winner past Big Sky goalkeeper Carley Lane in the 73rd minute and Flathead (8-4-1) won 3-2 to advance to the Class AA state tournament for the third time in four years.
“You asked what the difference was, it was finding a kid that really had the will to win in Paige Birky,” Flathead coach Cory Wilson said. “Reminiscent of a few of our players in the past, Paige was not going to lose this game. That last goal was symbolic of Paige’s will to carry her team to state.”
Birky’s goal began in the defensive half when midfielder Meredith Wilson played a long ball over the defense to Monica White, who raced into the 18-yard box. Lane charged and knocked the ball off White’s foot, but Birky stormed in and put away the rebound.
“I thought (White) had the shot and when it ricocheted off the keeper, I was there to follow through,” Birky said. “It was just a nice play between the two of us.”
Flathead led 2-0 at halftime after goals by Zoe Loudermilk and White and looked poised to add to its advantage early in the second half. Jacquelyn Merrill rattled a penalty kick off the crossbar in the 48th minute and the Bravettes controlled the right flank with one-touch passing combinations, but they fell into a lull as the half wore on and Big Sky began to seize more possession.
Big Sky striker Kayla McCampbell woke up a quiet crowd in the 65th minute when she bent a corner kick into the Flathead goal, then shocked the Bravettes with a 68th-minute equalizer that bounced into the net after smacking the inside of the far post.
“I think we hit the wall because we let the score get into our heads,” White said. “We really started letting down, but towards the end we really realized we needed to pick up our intensity if we wanted to win, and that’s just what we did.”
Birky said her heart sank when Big Sky knotted the score at 2.
“Everything in me just hurt,” she said. “I knew that we had to get a win, so we gave it all we had.”
The game was far from over even after Birky re-gained Flathead’s lead. In the 77th minute, McCampbell passed to teammate Cassidy Pierce at the edge of the 18-yard box and Flathead goalkeeper Zoe Zander made a diving save to knock Pierce’s strike wide of the near post.
“I’m excited for the kids,” Coach Wilson said. “They’ve worked hard, they’ve been resilient, they’ve been motivated. They had a couple scary points there but they showed that they can win together.”
White was playing in just her fourth game since returning from a knee injury and had a hand in all three of Flathead’s goals. She played defense before the injury but returned 12 days ago as a forward and has added speed to the Bravettes’ attacking third. She outran Big Sky’s left back and played a cross that led to Flathead’s first goal in the 20th minute. She scored Flathead’s second goal in the 39th minute when she received a chip from Alexa May and ripped a shot inside the far post from the left side of the 18-yard box.
“Being that I’ve been out for a long time, I haven’t really had any other chances,” White said. “I feel like I was really able to give it my all this game.”
Flathead will play Great Falls C.M. Russell in the first round of the state tournament on Thursday in Helena.
Big Sky 0 2 — 2
Flathead 2 1 — 3
F - Zoe Loudermilk (assist Paige Birky), 20:00
F - Monica White (Alexa May), 39:00
B - Kayla McCampbell (unassisted), 65:00
B - McCampbell (Ana Jarrett), 68:00
F - Birky (White), 73:00
Shots - Big Sky 11, Flathead 19. Saves - Big Sky 8 (Carley Lane), Flathead 9 (Zoe Zander). Corner kicks - Big Sky 3, Flathead 4. Fouls - Big Sky 6, Flathead 8. Yellow cards - none. Red cards - none.