Schulz leads Wolfpack boys past Braves, 3-2
With the score knotted at zero halfway through Glacier’s boys soccer crosstown matchup with Flathead, Wolfpack coach Ryan Billiet turned to the young man the team has turned to all year — senior Brady Schulz — and delivered a short message.
“We need someone to be the man,” Billiet told his star midfielder.
In the second half, Schulz was just that.
He scored the first goal in the 47th minute and added an insurance goal that proved valuable in the 84th minute to lead Glacier to a 3-2 win on Thursday night at Legends Stadium.
“His motor never stops,” Billiet said. “He wears his heart on his sleeve. He’s just a fantastic individual.”
After the two rivals played to a scoreless draw in the first half, an offensive eruption came early in the second.
Schulz’s first goal was a masterpiece, a low-flying missile that curled just inches inside the left post from about 30 yards out.
Flathead’s Shane Rieke responded just two minutes later to tie the game, but Glacier’s Conner Heil put the Wolfpack on top for good just two minutes after that.
“They’re playing at a really high level, and for our guys to hang in there and come back from being a goal back and then down 3-1 and really give themselves a chance was good,” Flathead coach Nate Evans said.
Schulz gave Glacier some cushion with a second goal in the 84th minute, and it came in handy.
Flathead cut the lead to one just a minute later with an Eystad Hanson goal but came up empty in the final five minutes while attempting to knot the score late, as the Braves did in the first meeting between the two teams.
“They’ve shown a lot of resilience this year,” Evans said. “They really were kind of playing a little passive, our team was, the first half and kind of letting the game come to them. It resulted in us giving up a goal, and then they got a little fired up and answered right back.
“I’m proud of their response. We just came up short.”
The script closely followed the teams’ first matchup earlier this season, when Flathead earned a 3-all tie with a penalty kick in extra time.
The Braves could produce no such magic this time, as Glacier rejected several late runs to the goal to preserve a crucial victory.
“They really have matured,” Billiet said of his team. “We have been knicked on a couple late goals, late results like that. Sometimes it just takes more time to understand and be more disciplined.
“They definitely showed we can close out a game.”
With the win, Glacier secured the No. 2 seed in Western AA, guaranteeing the Wolfpack a playoff spot without a play-in game for the first time in school history.
“We’re just excited we finally get some time to train and rest up a little bit,” Billiet said. “We’ve never been in this position. That was a goal at the start of the season.
“We’ve always had to scrap and get a playoff game, so these guys knew that was on the line.”
For Flathead, all of the goals the Braves laid out for the season are still very much within reach.
They face Missoula Sentinel on Saturday to determine home-field advantage for the play-in game for state, which will also be against Sentinel.
Evans’ message to his team after the loss was straightforward.
“Refocus,” he said. “It’s just a setback. We still have two games remaining. We get to play Sentinel twice, so we’re looking to win that game (on Saturday), hopefully host, then reset for the state tournament. That’s always the goal.”
Glacier 0 3 — 3
Flathead 0 2 — 2
G — Brady Schulz, 47:00
F — Shane Rieke, 49:00
G — Conner Heil (Rohit Tappeta), 51:00
G — Schulz (Ryan Symmes), 84:00
F — Eystad Hanson, 85:00
Shots on goal — Glacier 10, Flathead 4. Corner kicks — Glacier 5, Flathead N/A. Goalie saves — Glacier (Logan Hill) 2, Flathead (Max Warnell) 5. Fouls — Glacier 6, Flathead 13. Cards — Flathead (yellow).