Glacier stuns Flathead 2-1 in playoff thriller
Glacier's Braden Nitschelm (4) celebrates with teammates, from left, Eli Mildren (14), Sebastiano Pipolo (16), goalkeeper John Pyron (1) and Sam Ells (6) after Nitschelm's game-winning goal in stoppage time against Flathead at Legends Stadium on Tuesday. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Glacier celebrates after their 2-1 win over Flathead at Legends Stadium on Tuesday. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Glacier's Micah Heil (7) and Braden Nitschelm (4) celebrate after Nitschelm's game-winning goal in stoppage time against Flathead at Legends Stadium on Tuesday. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Glacier's Braden Nitschelm (4) works the ball upfield against Flathead at Legends Stadium on Tuesday. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Glacier's Braden Nitschelm (4) scores the game-winner in stoppage time to beat Flathead 2-1 at Legends Stadium on Tuesday. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Glacier's Micah Heil (7) and Braden Nitschelm (4) celebrate after Heil's goal in the second half against Flathead at Legends Stadium on Tuesday. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Flathead goalkeeper Hudson Magone (1) makes a leaping save as he's challenged by Glacier's Zane Elliott (11) in the second half at Legends Stadium on Tuesday. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Flathead's Ethan Vandenbosch (21) and Glacier's Sol Dalla Betta (13) battle for a header off a Flathead corner kick at Legends Stadium on Tuesday. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Glacier's Braden Nitschelm (4) looks to shoot in the second half against Flathead at Legends Stadium on Tuesday. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Flathead's Jalen Hawes (7) pushes the ball upfield past Glacier's Sebastiano Pipolo (16) at Legends Stadium on Tuesday. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
From left, Flathead's Ethan Vandenbosch (21), Camas Rinehart (16), Jalen Hawes (7) and AJ Apple (5) celebrate after Apple's goal in the first half against Glacier at Legends Stadium on Tuesday. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Flathead's Jalen Hawes (7) pushes the ball upfield past Glacier's Sebastiano Pipolo (16) at Legends Stadium on Tuesday. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Flathead's Kell Rasnic (8) and Glacier's Diego Mendoza (2) battle for a header near the Flathead goal at Legends Stadium on Tuesday. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Flathead's AJ Apple (5) races Glacier's Sebastiano Pipolo (16) for a loose ball in the first half at Legends Stadium on Tuesday. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Glacier's Micah Heil (7) heads in a goal in the second half against Flathead at Legends Stadium on Tuesday. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
For one side it was ecstasy, for the other it was agony.
With less than two minutes to play, Braden Nitschelm scored the deciding goal and the Glacier Wolfpack rallied to win 2-1 over the Flathead Braves in the first round of the Class AA boys soccer playoffs on Tuesday at Legends Stadium.
The match looked destined for extra time. Nitschelm had two powerful shots stopped by Flathead goalkeeper Hudson Magone in the waning minutes, and the Wolfpack’s Diego Mendoza missed a penalty kick in the 78th minute.
But Nitschelm would not be denied again. Glacier’s Sam Ells won the ball around midfield moments after the missed penalty, and Nitschelm made a run to receive the ball from Ells and set himself up for a game-winning shot just inside the penalty box.
“I saw the defender was on my right so I pushed him to my right and opened to my left, and I was just one-on-one with the keeper,” Nitschelm said.
The Wolfpack (7-4-4 overall) went into halftime down 1-0, but Micah Heil tied the game in the 51st minute with a contested header off a long free kick from Mendoza.
“It was a perfect ball from Diego, a well-timed run and a clinical finish,” Glacier coach Ryan Billiet said.
He said that kind of play is indicative of a team peaking at the right time.
“We’ve had our ups-and-downs throughout the season ... we tried to work to our highest point right here at the playoffs,” Heil said. “We just keep building and we trust in our team and I think it’s really showed at the end of the season.”
The opening goal came in the 25th minute off the foot of Flathead’s AJ Apple. After a corner kick and series of deflections in the penalty box, Apple’s volley easily found the back of the net.
“We knew we’d concede a goal tonight,” Billiet said. “The guys never got frantic, never got too urgent. We stayed with them, played our style of play ... And finally found ways to create goal scoring opportunities.”
Glacier may have had a comfortable victory if not for Magone. In the 6th minute, the Flathead keeper made a leaping save to tip Blake Marlow’s scorching strike over the crossbar. He then made three clutch saves late in the match, though had no chance at stopping Nitschelm’s game-winner.
“Hudson had a huge game, definitely kept us in the game there at the end,” Flathead coach Zach Brenneman said.
“We kept them to few chances for the first 60 minutes. They kind of found the run of play there in the last 20, finding some possession. But for the first 60 I thought we were definitely the better team on the field.”
Flathead won the two regular season battles against Glacier, 5-2 and 1-0.
“It’s hard to beat your crosstown rival. Nothing to do with beating them twice in the regular season, it had everything to do with that they’re a good team,” Brenneman said.
The Braves finish the season 7-7-1. The Wolfpack will travel to face Billings Senior on Saturday in the Class AA quarterfinals. Under the new AA playoff format, teams are reseeded after the first round. Glacier is the No. 3 Western seed heading into quarterfinals. Billings Senior is the No. 2 Eastern seed. Game time is to be determined.
Flathead 1 0 – 1
Glacier 0 2 – 2
F – AJ Apple 25:00
G – Micah Heil (Diego Mendoza) 51:00
G – Braden Nitschelm (Sam Ells) 80:00
Shots – Glacier 17, Flathead 10; Saves – Glacier 7 (John Pyron), Flathead 10 (H=dson Magone); Corner kicks – Glacier 4, Flathead 1; Fouls – Glacier 11, Flathead 11.
Boys AA first round playoff scores
Tuesday
Western
No. 6 Helena High 3, No. 3 Missoula Sentinel 2
No. 2 Helena Capital 9, No. 7 Missoula Big Sky 2
No. 1 Missoula Hellgate 8, No. 8 Butte 0
Eastern
No. 3 Billings West 3, No. 6 Great Falls 0
No. 4 Billings Skyview 2, No. 5 C.M. Russell
No. 2 Billings Senior 7, No. 7 Belgrade 1
No. 1 Bozeman — Bye