Boys soccer: Wild crosstown match ends in draw
It was loud, it was wet and it was physical.
But in the end it decided nothing.
Flathead and Glacier fought to a 2-2 draw Thursday night at Kidsport Complex in a match that featured 32 fouls, seven yellow cards and a driving rainstorm in the final few minutes that brought with it the equalizing goal.
“Who doesn’t love playing in the rain?” Glacier head coach Ryan Billiet said. “It was fast-paced, it was hard-hitting and the surface made the game a little quicker. It was so much fun.”
Most of the night wasn’t much fun for Billiet and the Wolfpack, who trailed until the 75th minute. That’s when Colton Becker corralled a ball in the corner and served one into the box that Tyler Combs deflected into the net.
“Guys were crashing the net because they’re hungry and they want to get that result and, boom, we have the composure to tuck it inside and get to celebrate,” Billiet said.
“We kind of let one slip away,” first-year Flathead head coach Nate Evans said. “It’s a good way to open the season up in a good environment, and Glacier’s a good team so kudos to them. But we let one get away.”
In his first match as head coach, Evans’ squad overcame an early Becker goal to strike twice in four minutes and take a 2-1 lead. Freshman Joey Russell tied the game in the 11th minute and Kaleb Frame buried a penalty kick in the 15th minute to give the Braves the lead.
“Our kids are going to score goals,” Evans said. “We’ve got a lot of attacking power.”
Flathead would hold that lead for 60 minutes, but Glacier was not without chances. Junior keeper Micah Bucy, in his first varsity start, made nine saves including a terrific one-on-one denial against Becker early in the second half. While the Wolfpack had much of the second half possession, the Braves defense played well enough in back to keep Glacier’s high-octane offense at bay.
“Micah Bucy was huge for us. He played a great game tonight,” Evans said. “And I thought our back line did a great job containing (Becker). He’s a great player.”
“(Glacier) defended well, they were very organized back there, they made some good tackles and their keeper made a couple good saves,” Billiet said. “But we missed a couple, too, that I thought we could have buried.”
The match between crosstown rivals was also extremely physical, with emotions running high on both sidelines and a hearty crowd from both schools heavily involved in the action. Glacier was whistled for five yellow cards in the second half alone, including a pair to freshman Connor Griffin.
“There were moments of good soccer,” Evans said. “But it was mostly just adrenaline-infused testosterone and teenage boys. That’s what it was.”
“It definitely got intense,” Billiet added.
The two schools will meet again October 3 at Glacier.
Glacier 1 1 — 2
Flathead 2 0 — 2
GLA – Colton Becker (Connor Heil), 7:00
FLT – Joey Russell (unassisted), 11:00
FLT – Kaleb Frame (penalty kick), 15:00
GLA – Tyler Combs (Colton Becker), 75:00
Shots on goal – Glacier 11, Flathead 6. Saves – Glacier 4 (Ryker McIntyre), Flathead 12 (Micah Bucy). Corner kicks – Glacier 1, Flathead 3. Fouls – Glacier 19, Flathead 13. Yellow cards – Glacier 5, Flathead 2. Red cards – Glacier 1.