AA soccer: Flathead boys tie Bengals
The Flathead boys struck first in a 1-1 draw with visiting Helena High on Friday in the final Western AA soccer match of the regular season for both teams.
The Braves found a late lead in the contest when Sam Gonzalez scored on a pass from Kaleb Frame in the 70th minute to give his team a 1-0 lead with 10 minutes to play.
Helena would answer a minute later, however, sending the game to a tie. The Bengals outshot Flathead 18-7 and made goalkeeper Micah Bucy work all game.
“I tell (Bucy) every game, he needs to make all the saves he can make and then a couple that he shouldn’t,” Braves coach Nate Evans said. “He did just that today. Not much quiet time for him.”
Flathead (3-4-5) has tied its last four matches and is unbeaten in its last five. The Braves worked their way to the fifth seed in the West and will play at Missoula Sentinel next week in the play-in game. Flathead beat the Spartans 2-0 in Missoula earlier this season before drawing 2-2 last week.
“The kids are excited to play them again,” Evans said. “They’re a good team, but we know when we play our best we can beat them.”
Helena 0 1 — 1
Flathead 0 1 — 1
F— Sam Gonzalez (Kaleb Frame), 70:00
H— Harrison Dengel (Trent Treadway) 71:00
Shots on Goal—HHS 18, Flathead 7. Keeper Saves—HHS 6, Flathead 17 (Micah Bucy). Corner kicks—n/a. Fouls—n/a. Cards—none.
GIRLS
Helena High 1, Flathead 0
Flathead held the state’s top team scoreless until midway through the second half, falling to Helena High in the final Western AA game of the regular season.
Aine Lawlor ended the shutout in the 50th minute, scoring on a pass from Katie Martin to give the Bengals (10-0-2) a 1-0 lead and enough cushion to ride out the win as the top seed from the West.
The Bengals outshot Flathead 9-5 and had six corner kicks to the Bravettes’ two.
“Our kids came and competed great, gave Helena all they could handle,” Bravettes coach Cory Wilson said. “The defense set a great tone, played great. All four defenders had an amazing game.
“We’re pleased with effort, pleased with amount of possession we had. We just have to be able to put together a few more dangerous opportunities in our offensive third to be able to move on next week in our play- in game.”
Flathead (3-7-2) finished the season as the fifth seed out of the West and will play at Helena Capital (3-5-4) in the play-in game next week. The Bravettes tied the Bruins 1-1 in their first meeting and fell 3-1 on Thursday.
Helena 0 1 — 1
Flathead 0 0 — 0
H —Aine Lawlor (Katie Martin), 50:00
Shots on Goal—HHS 9, Flathead 5. Keeper Saves—HHS 5 (Shanna Floerchinger), Flathead 8 (Lilly Sherman). Corner kicks—HHS 6, Flathead 2. Fouls—HHS 11, Flathead 8. Cards—none.