Glacier soccer teams hope to keep magic going on road

Now the Glacier soccer teams take the show on the road, in hopes they repeat the exciting finishes they had on Saturday.

Glacier’s boys take on the high-scoring Hellgate Knights (15-0-1) at the Fort Missoula Complex, at 7 p.m. tonight. By then the Wolfpack girls will have battled it out with the Bozeman Hawks, in a State AA semifinal match that began at 1:30 p.m.

The girls will also have been on the road since 6 a.m., and are due to arrive back in Kalispell about 1 a.m. Not optimal, but better than some alternatives.

“Really to tell you the truth, we’re just happy to go play,” Glacier coach Brenden Byrd said.

Glacier (12-4) and Bozeman (11-2-1) haven’t played since Byrd’s first season as the Wolfpack coach; the Hawks prevailed 4-1 in a 2009 quarterfinal game.

“They’re just a well-rounded team, and well-coached,” Byrd said of the Hawks, who are led by Sami Murphy (11 goals, one in the postseason) and Payton Putnam (seven goals, one in the playoffs). “I think it’s going to just be a great matchup for the two teams.”

Glacier got to its second straight semifinal with a 3-0 win over last year’s AA runners-up, the Billings Skyview Falcons. The Pack seized the lead early, then weathered a strong second-half charge by the Falcons before Reagan Brisendine pushed the lead to 2-0 with a 70-foot goal – the freshman’s third goal in two playoff games.

Reagan Brisendine, Taylor Brisendine, Emily Cleveland and Reese Leichtfuss all complement high-scoring middle Madison Becker. It’s not a big lineup, but it is skilled.

“Size doesn’t matter when you’re a family like this,” Byrd said. “The kids believe in each other and boy, they’ll take on anybody.

“We’re in a great spot. They’re hungry, they’re excited. With the snow today, we debated practicing inside. But they didn’t want to.”

Bozeman is hunting its 15th state finals appearance; the Hawks have won eight titles. Glacier is looking for its first championship appearance. Byrd like its chances.

“I’m extremely happy with where we are as a defensive team right now,” he said. “We haven’t allowed a goal in the playoffs. That says a lot about where our defense and our keeper are.”

On paper, the Wolfpack boys have a taller challenge, given the defending champion Knights’ many big scorers: Reggie Duce, who has 32 goals (five in two playoff games), Beckett Arthur, 26 goals (six), Lars Thorne-Thomsen, Cameron McNelis and Marcus Anderson (at least 11 goals each).

Hellgate has won four of the last five state titles and made seven title matches in the last nine years. Its run includes a 4-2 overtime verdict over Glacier in the 2017 championship.

“The seniors were freshmen that year, and they remember that journey,” Wolfpack coach Ryan Billiet said. “And a lot of them saw what it takes.

“(The Knights) are certainly the Goliath in the state. They are expected to be in this position, year after year.”

Glacier’s 11-3-2 record includes a 3-2, overtime win over Billings West Saturday, on Diego Mendoza’s goal in the 98th minute. It also includes losses by scores of 4-1 and 3-1 to the Knights.

The first one was in Kalispell.

“We played them really well for about 60 minutes of the match,” Billiet said. “Then they got a goal, and then you know they got a few more. It was of those games early on when we knew we could play at that level. We learned quite a bit, and it’s helped us in other matches.”

Confidence bolstered, the Pack went to Missoula last week and, Billiet said, “It was almost a repeat. We had them 1-nil at half, and just like in any soccer game, at halftime things can change.”

A penalty kick helped Hellgate’s cause; the 3-1 win was the Knights’ closest match other than a 2-2 tie with Missoula Sentinel.

Glacier has a balanced attack led by Braden Nitschelm, who had two goals against West and now has 12 on the season. Zane Elliott, who has been banged up, has nine goals, Hunter Lisowski seven and Parker Creer, Sullivan Coggins and Daniel Camp have six each.

“We feel like we’ve got a really good shot at them,” Billiet said. “We’re aimed at putting together our best game, our most complete game. It’s what we’ve worked the whole season for, and it’s an awesome opportunity.”