Soccer roundup: Glacier, Flathead boys post impressive wins
Three times last season Glacier and Missoula Hellgate met on the pitch, and all three times the result was the same.
Thursday, the Wolfpack avenged a trio of shutout losses with a whitewashing of its own, taking down the defending state runners-up 1-0 at Glacier High School.
“It was a phenomenal effort on all lines,” Glacier head coach Ryan Billiet said. “Our defenders were sharp, we were in good team shape consistently, and the work ethic, focus, commitment and the way we finished the game was just incredible to see.”
Hellgate came into the match 4-0, having outscored opponents 10-0. The Knights ended Glacier’s season in the state semifinals with a 1-0 win last fall.
“We’ve come so far and to be able to get a result against a team like that was spectacular,” Billiet said.
The Wolfpack (3-1-1) goal came in the 32nd minute when Colton Becker received a pass from Parker Bedard and beat all-state keeper Peter Byrne. The goal was Becker’s eighth in just five matches this year.
Hellgate 0 0 — 0
Glacier 1 0 — 1
GLA — Colton Becker (Parker Bedard), 32:00
Shots on goals — Hellgate 8, Glacier 8; Goalie saves — Glacier 5 (Ryker McIntrye), Hellgate 6 (Peter Byrne); Corner kicks – Hellgate 1, Glacier 2; Fouls — NA; Cards — NA.
Flathead 2, Sentinel 0
MISSOULA — Kaleb Frame scored two more goals and Flathead continued its resurgent season with a win at Missoula Sentinel.
“It was great to get down there on their home field and get a conference win,” first-year Braves coach Nate Evans said. “I’m very proud of the boys and blessed to be working with a great group of men.”
Frame put home a penalty kick in the 58th minute and added a direct kick goal five minutes later. The senior now has seven goals in six matches this fall.
The win was the second straight for the Braves, who have won back-to-back matches for the first time in seven years. The shutout was Flathead’s first since a 1-0 win over Glacier in 2013.
“(Our players) are rolling pretty good and they should be,” Evans said. “They’ve worked extremely hard all season and they’re putting it all together.”
Flathead 0 2 — 2
Sentinel 0 0 — 0
F — Kaleb Frame (penalty kick), 58:00
F — Kaleb Frame (direct kick), 63:00
Shots on goal — Flathead 7, Sentinel 2. Saves – Flathead 3 (Micah Bucy), Sentinel 5 (Rushton Hicks). Corner kicks — Flathead 1, Sentinel 3. Total fouls — Flathead 14, Sentinel 11. Cards — None.
Polson 5, Bigfork 2
BIGFORK — Polson tallied three goals in the span of five minutes in the first half and rolled from there for a Northern A victory over Bigfork.
Hugo Schyberg and Shane Rieke scored goals for Bigfork.
“We finished strong,” Bigfork coach Joe Feise said.
“Polson is a very good team. We hung in there with them and didn’t give up.”
Polson 3 2 — 5
Bigfork 0 2 — 2
P — Mack Moderie (Mike Mercer), 15:00
P — Mercer (Connor Lanier), 17:00
P — Bridger Wenzel (Mercer), 20:00
P — Jaben Wenzel (Alex Encizo), 43:00
P — Wenzel ( Encizo), 50:00
B — Hugo Schyberg, 66:00
B — Shane Rieke (Ben Russell), 68:00
Shots on goal — Polson 11, Bigfork 3; Goalie saves — NA; Corner kicks — Polson 4, Bigfork 0; Fouls — Polson 10, Bigfork 7; Cards — NA.
Girls
Glacier 3, Hellgate 3
Missoula Hellgate and Glacier traded scoring throughout the match, settling for a tie in Western AA play at Glacier.
Olivia Malchi scored two second-half goals for the Wolfpack.
Gabbie Dickson scored Glacier’s first goal at the 16-minute mark.
“Hellgate possessed the ball very well,” Glacier coach Brenden Byrd said.
“We battled to the very end.”
Byrd said Malchi “had one of the best games I’ve seen her play. She took control and did what she needed to do.”
Missoula Hellgate 2 1 — 3
Glacier 1 2 — 3
MH — Annie Liddle-Broberg, 12:00
G — Gabbie Dickson (McKayla Dennehy), 16:00
MH — Shawnae Inama, 22:00
G —Olivia Malchi (Katie Williams) 73:00
MH — Addison Scott, 78:00
G — Malchi (Destiny Dachs), 80:00
Shots on goal — Hellgate 18, Glacier 12; Goalie saves — Hellgate 11 (Claudia Wiese), Glacier 16 (Amy Braig); Fouls — Hellgate 8, Glacier 9; Cards — None.
Flathead 3, Sentinel 3
MISSOULA — Two goals by Shayenn Thompson and one by Kylee Herron allowed Flathead to battle back and tie Missoula Sentinel in Western AA play.
Sentinel and Flathead both scored in the 80th minute to make for a dramatic finish.
Flathead 0 3 — 3
Sentinel 1 2 — 3
MS — Brittany Delridge (Syd Steele), 8:00
MS — Piper Woodard (Jill Madsen), 45:00
F — Shayenn Thompson, 67:00
F — Kylee Herron, 72:00
MS — Woodard, 80:00
F — Thompson, 80:00
Shots on goal — Flathead 10, Sentinel 19; Goalie saves — Flathead 4 (Lilly Sherman), Sentinel 4 (Bekah Joy); Corner kicks — Flathead 2, Sentinel 6; Fouls — Flathead 4, Sentinel 8. Cards — None.
Polson 3, Bigfork 1
BIGFORK — Second-half goals by Amber Clarke and Tiara Duford allowed Polson to pick up a Northern A victory over Bigfork (0-4-1).
Katie Thomas scored in the seventh minute to give Bigfork an early lead.
Duford then tied the match at 1-all with her goal at 19 minutes.
“Give credit to Polson; they put together some great 1-2 touch passing and dominated the midfield,” Bigfork coach Jens Sundem said.
“Our girls played hard. You could tell we were getting tired at the end after a long stretch of games.”
This was Bigfork’s fourth game in seven days.
Polson 1 2 — 3
Bigfork 1 0 — 1
B — Katie Thomas, 7:00
P — Tiara Duford (Ashlee Howell), 19:00
P — Amber Clarke (Howell), 50:00
P — Duford, 62:00.
Shots on goal — Polson 22, Bigfork 7; Goalie saves — Polson 4 (Jenna Evertz), Bigfork 13 (Celeste Rehbein); Corner kicks — Polson 2, Bigfork 0; Fouls — Polson 7, Bigfork 5; Cards — None.