Flathead, Glacier soccer ready for home matches

The Western AA soccer season got underway Saturday, with Glacier and Flathead both visiting Missoula for tilts against Sentinel and Hellgate.

Flathead drew Hellgate, the odds-on favorite to win a title for boys and girls, to open the season.

Alejandro Calderon, in his second year of coaching the Braves, didn’t mind the opponent, though Flathead lost 11-1.

“I was kinda happy,” Calderon said. “Just get it over with, you know, get the really hard game outta the way and then really test out where we're at.”

The Braves won three games last season, two better than the season before, and Calderon hopes to double that number this fall.

That certainly seems possible, looking at the youthful but talented roster.

“We have a couple good little freshmen that are gonna be a huge part of the next couple years that are gonna be awesome to see because we got a lot more kids coming this way next year,” Calderon said.

Sophomore Alexander Miller is tending the goal for the Braves, and seniors Trace Lenz, Cartern Bullins and Miller Bushnell are back.

The Braves play host to Sentinel today at 5 p.m. on the Kidsport fields.

“I haven't seen them play, but I heard they have a strong midfield,” Calderon said. “So we'll see how that plays out against us. We’re just taking it one game at a time and keeping the good positive attitude.”

The Bravettes had similar feelings about facing Hellgate right off the bat (a 6-0 loss), but it’s a long season.

“I think it was a good way to start the season in the sense that it showed us what we needed to work on and improve on,” Bravettes coach Zach Brenneman said. “And I mean, we were just watching film today and we saw that there were some pretty easy fixes to what we were doing.”

There are nine seniors on the Bravettes roster, including Mia Stephan, Ally Pollan, Celie Vandenbosch, goalkeeper Joy Sund, and Lilli Rumsey Eash, who is also running cross country.

“It's great having players that have done it before and we have a good leadership core, which excites me for the season,” Brenneman said. “It's always great to have those older players that have played in some pretty intense games that have the leadership to help the young players through those times.”

Rumsey Eash played soccer up until eighth grade and decided to give it another shot this fall.

“She enjoyed playing with us over the summer and decided to try and make it work to do both," Brenneman said. “I’m working with the cross country coach to try and get her a good balance so she doesn't get too many miles in.”

The Bravettes kick off with Sentinel at 3 p.m. today at Kidsport.

When the Glacier boys made their run to the state championship a couple years ago, there were more than a few sibling pairs along for the ride, watching their older brothers play for a title. Now the little brothers are grown up and taking the reins of what looks to be a solid Wolfpack squad.

“I think the biggest thing for us is, looking back, after graduating such a huge class three years ago, we only had what, two, three starters return,” Glacier coach Ryan Billiet said. “So all last season, realistically, we were reestablishing ourselves and kind of learning one another. It took a lot of time and we got better as the season went on and finished relatively strong.”

The Wolfpack started off with a 1-0 win in Missoula against Sentinel on Saturday.

“I’m proud of how we came out,” Billiet said. “They focused on their performance and how we played. They did a really good job not worrying about anything else.”

The roster is heavy on juniors and seniors. Seniors include Bridger Dalla Betta, Hans Coggins, Hunter Lisowski, Joey Paolini and Caleb Brannan. Juniors Elias Holly and Liam Ells should feature heavily for Glacier as well.

“I think they know what it takes and we talk about that quite a bit and they're tested,” Billiet said. “They're experienced and they're very disciplined. They're just a great group.

“They’ve really focused on the culture, like, ‘Hey, let's do things the right way and this is what we need in order to be successful.’ I think ultimately just focusing less on the results and just focusing on the overall program experience has been probably the biggest shift for this group in particular, because ultimately I want them to have the program that they want.”

Glacier gets a turn with Hellgate next, today at 5 p.m. at Glacier High School.

The Glacier girls have a new coach behind the bench this fall, college soccer coaching legend Doug Mello, who retired from coaching Carroll College’s men’s team earlier this year. Mello holds the record for most collegiate matches coached (1,191) among his various and extensive accolades.

Glacier’s first outing was a 1-0 loss to Sentinel on Saturday.

“It's an adjustment period, not only for myself, but for the gals,” Mello said. “Just getting used to maybe an amped up style I would hope, in coaching. I like to think that I'm on the cutting edge of tactics and technique and getting everybody to not only improve as individuals, but to improve as a squad.”

Mello certainly has the tools to make that happen. He inherited a roster with nine seniors, including Reagan Brisendine and Calista Wroble. Brisendine, who led the state with 35 goals last year, committed to play at the University of Montana next fall and is one of three captains; Wroble is another, and junior Resse Ramey is the third.

Wroble, a midfielder, was injured for most of last season but should also be a top prospect for colleges. Ramey is transitioning from midfield to defender this season.

“She's got a great way of winning balls both in the air and on the ground,” Mello said. “And when she does win it, she initiates a good pass and gets into the offensive attack for us.”

In goal is Lilly Jensen, a sophomore. Mello thought she did well against Sentinel for not having any varsity experience.

Freshmen Kylie Shine and Perry Castruita are both defenders who impressed Mello enough to earn starting spots this fall.

“Perry’s strength is ball control in the midfield and for a young player, a quick read of the game,” Mello said. “She demonstrated that early and is rewarded as a freshman starter along with Kylie, who is just speed galore as far as she’s very fast and quick. She’s a tenacious defender, but she also is able to make runs up the side of the field and nobody could pretty much catch her.”

Glacier’s game against the Sentinel girls is at 3 p.m. at the Glacier High fields.