SOCCER: 'Pack is Back (in state tourney)

Unflappable in the face of spitting cold rain and a physical, direct Flathead attack, Glacier outpossessed and outscored its crosstown rivals en route to a 2-1 win at Kidsports Complex on Thursday afternoon, advancing the Wolfpack to its third straight Class AA state tournament.

Fifth-seeded Glacier (7-7-1) upended the fourth-seeded Braves (6-6-3) for the second time in as many matches, winning the season series (2-1), the tournament play-in and ending Flathead’s season in heartbreak. The win is Glacier’s fifth in its last seven matches, a stark turn from a 1-4-1 start in Western AA conference play.

“We’re three wins away from a state championship,” Glacier coach Ryan Billiet said. “I don’t think that was in anybody’s thought process halfway through the season.

“We’re playing as good or better than we have, obviously, all season long. We’re building. We’re peaking at the right time and it was obvious today.”

Glacier will be one of eight teams in the field for the double-elimination state tournament, right back at Kidsports, Thursday through Saturday next week.

In the play-in match, the Wolfpack was patient and tilted the field toward the Braves goal for most of the first half. Glacier got on the board in the 16th minute when Parker Bedard’s direct kick snuck inside the far post from 40 yards away and appeared to have another goal in the 25th minute, before the play was ruled offside.

Glacier led 1-0 at halftime but the Braves came out inspired after intermission. Jordan Buxton tied the score in the 48th minute when he headed in a cross from Cameron DeNeeve off a set piece from the deep corner.

The tie, however, was short-lived. In the 59th minute, Glacier patiently worked the ball up the field on the left side and Rohit Tappeta received a pass deep in the Braves end. Tappeta beat his defender one-on-one and snuck one past Flathead keeper Micah Bucy to notch the eventual match-winner. The goal was Tappeta’s team-leading seventh this season.

“We train a lot on the weight of the pass and the weight of all those passes down the field set the stage for a 1v1 match,” Billiet said of the winning goal. “When (Tappeta)’s going at that pace there’s no one in the state that can stop him, and he finished with brilliance.”

Conner Heil was credited with the assist on Tappeta’s goal.

With the clock winding down, Flathead pushed hard into the Glacier end and worked hard to earn a number of whistles, setting up a handful of terrific scoring chances. Wolfpack keeper Andrew Lorenc made a couple of excellent saves to keep the game even, and his defense cleared away any other opportunities.

“If you compare (Lorenc)’s performance from the first crosstown game it’s night and day,” Billiet said. “He’s a sophomore. He’s young. He’s just now starting to get the confidence he needs to be able to make two fantastic saves to keep the lead. That’s what you ask your keeper to do and he’s been able to deliver that the last couple of weeks and we’ve needed it.”

Both teams finished with seven shots on goal, Lorenc making six saves to earn the win. The contest was physical from the start and included 21 fouls on each team and three yellow cards, two handed out to Braves.

“There were a lot of whistles, a lot of set pieces,” Billiet said. “It was physical but our guys never retaliated once. I was very proud of their character, them as people. You can tell they’ve matured from day one. It’s a proud moment as a coach.”

The match ended one of Flathead’s best seasons in recent history, with the Braves winning more matches (six) than in any year since 2008. Flathead seniors Bucy, Jordan Buxton, Nathan Moon and Paul Harms all saw their prep careers come to a close in the loss.

“While we didn’t have many (seniors), we definitely had quality over quantity,” Flathead coach Nate Evans said. “The best guys I could ask for — in goal, two center backs, tremendous players, tremendous young men and leaders.

“The good thing about it is we’ll have eight returning starters next year.”

The full field for the state tournament, including match times, will be revealed later this week.

Glacier 1 1 — 2

Flathead 0 1 — 1

GLA — Parker Bedard (direct kick), 16:00

FLT — Jordan Buxton (Cameron DeNeeve), 48:00

GLA — Rohit Tappeta (Conner Heil), 59:00

Shots on goal — Glacier 7, Flathead 7. Saves — Glacier 6 (Andrew Lorenc), Flathead 5 (Micah Bucy). Corner kicks — Glacier 5, Flathead 4. Fouls — Glacier 21, Flathead 21. Cards — Yellow: Glacier 1, Flathead 2.