SOCCER ROUNDUP: Glacier girls tie Big Sky late; boys pick up win
<p>Glacier defender Erica Braig heads a ball during the first half against Missoula Big Sky on Thursday. (Aaric Bryan/Daily Inter Lake)</p>
Glacier had to rally twice to gain a 2-all tie with Missoula Big Sky in girls Western AA soccer action Thursday afternoon at rainy Kidsports Complex.
Ellie Stevens scored at 10 minutes to tie it for the Wolfpack (1-2-1 league) the first time and Gabbi Dickson, off an assist by Cadie Williams, scored at 63 minutes to finish the scoring for the day.
“We started out getting caught on our heels with that early goal,” Glacier coach Brenden Byrd said of Big Sky’s first goal two minutes into play.
“We answered well.
“Big Sky is extremely fast,” he added.
“We made adjustments and stuck in the game with them.”
Dickson’s goal hit off the crossbar and went into the back of the net.
“We had multiple chances at the end of the game to come away with the win,” Byrd said.
He said Big Sky also had plenty of chances to pull it out.
Missoula Big Sky 1 1 — 2
Glacier 1 1 — 2
BS — Hannah Santamaria, 2:10
G — Ellie Stevens, 10:00
BS — Whitney Morrison (Samtamaria), 47:00
G — Gabbi Dickson (Cadie Williams), 63:00
Shots on goal — Big Sky 5, Glacier 13; Goalie saves — Big Sky 8, Glacier (Maddie Armstrong 3); Corner kicks — Big Sky 2, Glacier 3; Fouls — Big Sky 3, Glacier 4; Cards — Big Sky, 1 yellow; Glacier, 2 yellow
Hellgate 2, Flathead 0
Misoula Hellgate managed to slip in two scores in the final five minutes of the match to emerge with the Western AA victory.
Flathead (0-3-0) held a big edge in shots on goal, 15-5, and led in corner kicks, 4-1.
“The score doesn’t reflect how we played,” Flathead coach Jenni Sipe said.
“We outplayed them the whole game. We had a breakdown in the last five minutes on both scores.
“I’m happy with how we possessed the ball, won the ball in the air,” she added.
Missoula Hellgate 0 2 — 2
Flathead 0 0 — 0
MH — NA
Shots on goal — Hellgate 5, Flathead 15; Goalie saves — Hellgate 12, Flathead (Kelsey Gillespie 5); Corner kicks — Hellgate 1, Flathead 4; Fouls — Hellgate 8, Flathead 2; Cards — Hellgate 2 yellow.
BOYS
Hellgate 3, Flathead 0
Flathead outshot the defending state champions, but three second half goals led Hellgate to a Western AA conference win at Kidsports Complex.
The Braves (1-4-0 overall, 0-3-0 Western AA) were shut out for a fourth straight match, but head coach Nate Evans was encouraged by the chances his team generated against the Knights.
“Our boys played an incredible game, we really stepped up to their level,” he said. “Once the goals start falling it’s going to rain. We played them really close, a really good game, and we’re going to bounce back for Saturday’s game.”
The Knights (5-0-1, 3-0-1) opened the scoring with a Cole Hage goal in the 48th minute, kick-starting a three-goal burst in a 16-minute stretch for the visitors. Matt Baldridge had a goal and an assist in the win.
Flathead enjoyed a 6-5 edge in shots on goal.
Missoula Hellgate 0 3 — 3
Flathead 0 0 — 0
H — Cole Hage (Matt Baldridge), 48:00
H — Sam Carnes (Baldridge), 60:00
H — Cole Schmidt (Finn Bingham), 64:00
Shots on goal — Hellgate 5, Flathead 6; Goalie saves —Hellgate 6 (Justin Lane), Flathead 2 (Micah Bucy); Corner kicks — Hellgate 5, Flathead 4. Fouls — Hellgate 14, Flathead 15; Cards — Flathead 1 (yellow).
Glacier 1, Big Sky 0
A goal by Parker Bedard in the 26th minute was all Glacier needed to slip by Missoula Big Sky in a Western AA matchup at Kidsports Complex.
Glacier (2-3-1, 1-2-1) dominted the action, outshooting Big Sky on goal 13-1. In corner kicks, the Wolfpack had a 5-2 edge.
“I’m proud of the boys,” Glacier coach Ryan Billiet said.
“The guys were definitely tired, but held it together very well and finished out the week with a result. That was our goal today.”
Glacier played games last Friday and Saturday at Helena and was in Missoula to play Hellgate on Tuesday.
Missoula Big Sky 0 0 — 0
Glacier 1 0 — 1
G — Parker Bedard (Rohit Tappeta), 26:00
Shots on goal — Big Sky 1, Glacier 16; Goalie saves — Big Sky (Devin Jacaruso 15), Glacier (Andrew Lorenc 1); Corner kicks — Big Sky 2, Flathead 5; Fouls — Big Sky 6, Glacier 4; Cards — None.