AA state boys soccer: Bozeman hands Glacier opening loss
BILLINGS — Bozeman scored a pair of early goals and held off a hard charge from Glacier in the second half to win 3-0 in the first round at the Class AA boys state soccer tournament on Thursday.
Hawks senior Chris Linkenbach scored on a deflection in the 10th minute to cut an early lead for Bozeman and Wes Robbins scored in the 33rd off the transition on a pass from Linkenbach to send the East’s second seed to a 2-0 lead at half.
Glacier dominated the ball in the second half and found a few chances on net, but couldn’t get anything past Bozeman keeper Max Yates. Bozeman’s Riley McNeil made a run in the Glacier box in the second half and was fouled, earning a penalty kick, which he buried to give the Hawks the decisive 3-0 win.
“We played phenomenal, especially in the second half,” Glacier coach Ryan Billiet said.
“We applied a ton of pressure, generated a ton of opportunities in the second half. We could not find the net. We knocked on the door, got five or six point-blank shots inside the 18 (-yard box), but we couldn’t find it. Couldn’t finish. It’s unfortunate.
“That’s just the game. I was very pleased with their performance and their energy.”
Glacier outshot Bozeman 10-5 and had six corner kicks, holding the Hawks to none. Wolfpack goalkeeper Ryker McIntyre made two saves.
The Wolfpack will play Billings West today in a loser-out game scheduled for 11 a.m., the winner advancing to the fifth-place game on Saturday. West lost to top-ranked Missoula Hellgate 4-0 in the first round.
“We have to try to move forward and get a result against a team I don’t think any of us has played before,” Billiet said.
“The guys were anxious to get a result against Bozeman. They’re excited for an opportunity to play another game. We have to try to get a result and move on.”
Bozeman 3, Glacier 0
Bozeman 2 1 — 3
Glacier 0 0 — 0
B—Chris Linkenbach, 10:00
B—Wes Robbins (Linkenbach), 33:00
B—McNeil (Penalty kick), 65:00
Shots on Goal—Bozeman 5, Glacier 10. Corner kicks—Bozeman 0, Glacier 6. Keeper saves— Bozeman (Max Yates) 4, Glacier (Ryker McIntyre) 2.
————
Thursday’s Scores
FIRST ROUND
Boys
Hellgate 4, Billings West 0
West 0 0 — 0
Hellgate 1 3 — 4
H—Ryan Sayler (unassisted), 2:00
H – Andrew Moisey (Peter Vandam), 42:00
H – Skylar Starks-Ragsdale (Vandam), 48:00
H – Vandam (unassisted), 54:00
Shots on goal – West 4, Hellgate 17. Saves – West 13 (Ryan Cornwall), Hellgate 6 (Peter Byrne 6, Justin Lane 0). Corner kicks – West 4, Hellgate 4. Total fouls – West 6, Hellgate 4. Cards – None.
Missoula Sentinel 4, Billings Senior 1
Senior 1 0 — 1
Sentinel 3 1 — 4
SNT—Austin Leadbetter (Isaiah Katzenstein), 3:00
SNT—Owen Winger, 9:00
SNT—Dylan Farnes (Thomas Stevens), 22:00
SR—Jens Zimmerman (Wes Currence), 30:00
SNT—Winger, 56:00
Helena 3, Billings Skyview 0
Skyview 0 0 — 0
Helena 1 2 — 3
HHS—Andriy Proctor (PK), 5:00
HHS—Luke Ballentyne (Jackson Keller), 55:00
HHS—Aiden Fitzgerald (Proctor), 58:00
Girls
Missoula Sentinel 3, Billings Senior 1
Sentinel 1 2 — 3
Senior 1 0 — 1
SR—Saydee Preston, 3:00
SNT—Maddie Madsen, 23:00
SNT—Emma Caldwell (Syd Steele), 52:00
SNT—Caldwell (Brittany Delridge), 70:00
Bozeman 6, Helena Capital 1
Bozeman 2 4 — 6
Capital 1 0 — 1
C—Ali McHugh, 3:00
B—Sydney Rollison, 19:00
B—Rollison (Rachel Peck), 35:00
B—Rollison (Brooke Springer), 42:00
B—Julia Kaiser (PK), 49:00
B—Peck, 73:00
B—Keely Lane (Alexa Coyle), 75:00
Billings West 3, Missoula Big Sky 1
Big Sky 1 0 — 1
West 1 2 — 3
W—Lauren Cornwall, 1:00
BS—Hannah Kearns (Cassidy Pierce) 38:00
W—Madison Marlenee, 42:00
W—Valentina Cvrk (Cronwell), 78:00
Helena 2, Skyview 0
Skyview 0 0 — 0
Helena 1 1 — 2
HHS—Patricia Martin (Katie Martin), 32:00
HHS—K. Martin, 65:00
——————————
Today’s State Schedule
At Amend Park, Billings
Boys
Loser Out
11 a.m. — Glacier vs. Billings West
11 a.m. — Billings Skyview vs. Billings Senior
Semifinals
1:30 p.m. — Bozeman vs. Missoula Hellgate
1:30 p.m. — Helena High vs. Missoula Sentinel
Girls
Loser Out
11 a.m. — Missoula Big Sky vs. Billings Skyview
11 a.m. — Billings Senior vs. Helena Capital
Semifinals
1:30 p.m. — Billings West vs. Helena High
1:30 p.m. — Bozeman vs. Missoula Sentinel