Columbia Falls soccer rolls into semifinals

Columbia Falls' Bruno Feijoo Vazquez (10) scores a goal in the second half against Polson during the Class A soccer quarterfinals at Flip Darling Memorial Field on Saturday, Oct. 19. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Columbia Falls' Riley Byrd (11) scores a goal off a free kick in the first half against Missoula Loyola in the Class A soccer quarterfinals at Flip Darling Memorial Field on Saturday, Oct. 19. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Columbia Falls' Max Everett (13, left) and Isak Soyland (4) celebrate after Everett's goal assisted by Soyland in the second half against Polson during the Class A soccer quarterfinals at Flip Darling Memorial Field on Saturday, Oct. 19. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Columbia Falls' Mila Johns (6) shoots in the first half against Missoula Loyola in the Class A soccer quarterfinals at Flip Darling Memorial Field on Saturday, Oct. 19. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Columbia Falls' Jackson Scholz (19) scores a goal in the second half of the Class A soccer quarterfinals at Flip Darling Memorial Field on Saturday, Oct. 19. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Columbia Falls' Onnika Lawrence (10) shoots in the first half of the Class A soccer quarterfinals at Flip Darling Memorial Field on Saturday, Oct. 19. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Columbia Falls' Isak Soyland (4) passes to Max Everett (13) for a goal in the second half against Polson during the Class A soccer quarterfinals at Flip Darling Memorial Field on Saturday, Oct. 19. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Columbia Falls' Max Everett (13) shoots in the second half of the Class A soccer quarterfinals at Flip Darling Memorial Field on Saturday, Oct. 19. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Columbia Falls' River Wolford (7) tries to get past Polson's Afton Hatch (15) in the first half of the Class A soccer quarterfinals at Flip Darling Memorial Field on Saturday, Oct. 19. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Columbia Falls' Isla Alexander (8) shoots in the second half against Missoula Loyola in the Class A soccer quarterfinals at Flip Darling Memorial Field on Saturday, Oct. 19. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Columbia Falls' River Wolford (7) sends a shot off the goalpost against Polson during the Class A soccer quarterfinals at Flip Darling Memorial Field on Saturday, Oct. 19. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Columbia Falls' Onnika Lawrence (10) shoots in the second half against Missoula Loyola in the Class A soccer quarterfinals at Flip Darling Memorial Field on Saturday, Oct. 19. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Polson's Dion Lichtenberg (10) and Columbia Falls' Bruno Feijoo Vazquez (10) vie for a ball in the first half during the Class A soccer quarterfinals at Flip Darling Memorial Field on Saturday, Oct. 19. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Columbia Falls' Isak Soyland (4) shoots in the second half against Polson during the Class A soccer quarterfinals at Flip Darling Memorial Field on Saturday, Oct. 19. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Columbia Falls' Taylor Rodgers (19) pushes the ball upfield in the first half against Missoula Loyola in the Class A soccer quarterfinals at Flip Darling Memorial Field on Saturday, Oct. 19. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Columbia Falls' River Wolford (7) shoots in the second half of the Class A soccer quarterfinals at Flip Darling Memorial Field on Saturday, Oct. 19. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
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Columbia Falls' Riley Byrd (11) and Onnika Lawrence (10) celebrate after Bird's goal in the first half against Missoula Loyola in the Class A soccer quarterfinals at Flip Darling Memorial Field on Saturday, Oct. 19. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
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Columbia Falls' Onnika Lawrence (10) dribbles past Missoula Loyola's Sylvie Von Doersten (9) in the first half of the Class A soccer quarterfinals at Flip Darling Memorial Field on Saturday, Oct. 19. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
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Columbia Falls' Bruno Feijoo Vazquez (10) battles Polson's Roman Sawyer (17) for a header in the first half of the Class A soccer quarterfinals at Flip Darling Memorial Field on Saturday, Oct. 19. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
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Columbia Falls' Max Everett (13) has a scoring attempt stopped by Polson keeper Maddox Bird in the first half of the Class A soccer quarterfinals at Flip Darling Memorial Field on Saturday, Oct. 19. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
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Columbia Falls' Onnika Lawrence (10) dribbles past Missoula Loyola's Silvia Moyano Garcia (12) in the first half of the Class A soccer quarterfinals at Flip Darling Memorial Field on Saturday, Oct. 19. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

by JON ALLEN
Staff Writer | October 20, 2024 12:00 AM

Survive and advance.

The Columbia Falls boys soccer team did just that with a 3-0 victory over Polson in the Class A soccer quarterfinals, while the girls cruised to a 10-0 victory over Missoula Loyola.

Bruno Vazquez — who goes by just Bruno on the pitch — found the opener after 70 minutes of a stalemate between the Wildcats (12-0-1) and Pirates (5-5).

“I took too many shots today and for me I said, ‘I have to score,’ “ Bruno said. “We had a lot of opportunities and there was a lot of emotion between me and my teammates.”

From that moment on the floodgates opened.

Jackson Scholz found some space at the top of the box and put one to the right of Polson goalkeeper Maddox Bird to double the advantage.

Less than a minute after Scholz scored, Maxwell Everett added the third and Columbia Falls closed out the hotly contested game.

“We didn’t imagine it going down the way it did, but that is the playoffs for you,” Columbia Falls boys coach O’Brien Byrd said. “I have got to give props to Polson, number three in the south and they came up and went toe-to-toe with us like they were number one in the south.”

From the start it was one way traffic for the Wildcats, who tested Bird 25 times throughout the match.

Jack Harris forced the first save from Bird just three minutes in, he would get another shot on goal in the 11th minute.

Polson’s best chance of the first half came in the 18th minute as Ted Mausshardt got his head on a corner, but it harmlessly went out of play past the right post.

Columbia Falls could have taken the lead 31 minutes in as Bruno’s through ball to River Wolford sent the 31-goal scorer in alone, but his shot bounced off the post.

Wolford got another chance at the start of the second half, but Bird was able to make a leaping save.

The Wildcats made a small change in the lineup in the 68th minute, and it made all the difference.

“Isak Soyland, we moved him up top in the last 12 minutes and he turned the game around for us,” Byrd said. “He’s our fullback and we moved him up top in the moment because we just need to change something and he came up big.”

Soyland got behind the defense in the 71st minute and his shot was saved, but Bruno was there for the putback to break the deadlock.

Soyland added an assist on Everett’s goal as Columbia Falls now faces a semifinal matchup on the road with Billings Central on Saturday.

Polson 0 0 - 0

Columbia Falls 0 3 - 3

C — Bruno Vazquez 71:00

C — Jackson Scholz 76:00

C — Maxwell Everett (Isak Soyland) 77:00

Shots — Polson 1, Columbia Falls 25. Saves — Polson 19 (Maddox Bird), Columbia Falls 1 (Rafe Rusche). Corner kicks — Polson 3, Columbia Falls 6. Fouls — Polson 3, Columbia Falls 3.

Columbia Falls girls 10, Missoula Loyola 0

Riley Byrd scored three goals — including a pair of free kicks — and Onnika Lawrence added five goals as the Wildkats routed Loyola.

“It’s win or go home, so I think there's a lot of nerves,” Wildkats coach Thomas Clark said. “Everybody at this point is a strong opponent, so credit to Loyola. We are ready for the semis and excited to go from here.”

Byrd got the scoring going eight minutes in from a free kick 20 yards out, placing it by Hattie Taylor.

Lawrence doubled the lead just a few moments later as Columbia Falls (10-2-1) raced ahead early.

Byrd teed up another free kick in the 16th minute and found the same result and the Wildkats took a 3-0 lead into the half.

“I could tell by our warmups that everyone had great energy and we were ready for this game,” Byrd said. “I usually just try to get it on frame, but right as I hit it I could feel that it was going in on both of them.”

Out of the break Byrd secured her hat trick just three minutes into the second half, rolling one under Taylor to make it 4-0.

Tatiana Raynmond added a goal in the 55th minute, lofting one over the keeper into the net. Just a minute later, Lawrence found her second of the match.

Loyola (7-4-2) had its best chance of the match 59 minutes in, buts Emerson Laird was just unable to get her foot on a cross into the box. Columbia Falls cleared the ball without a shot coming in.

Lawrence completed her hat trick midway through the half to extend the lead to 7-0.

The WIldkats added three more goals in the final four minutes of the game: Isla Alexander scoring in the 73rd minute; Lawrence then scored in the 75th and 77th to reach the mercy rule and end the game.

Like the boys, the Wildkats make a trip to Billings Central on Saturday for a semifinal matchup.

Missoula Loyola 0 0 - 0

Columbia Falls 3 7 - 10

C — Riley Byrd FK 8:00

C — Onnika Lawrence (Evie Dorr) 11:00

C — Byrd FK 16:00

C — Byrd 43:00

C — Tatiana Raynmond (Onnika Lawrence) 55:00

C — Lawrence (Tatiana Raynmond) 56:00

C — Lawrence (Mila Johns) 59:00

C — Isla Alexander (Evie Dorr) 73:00

C — Lawrence (Isla Alexander) 75:00

C — Lawrence 77:00

Shots — Loyola 1, Columbia Falls 22. Saves — Loyola 14 (Hattie Taylor), Columbia Falls 1 (Erica Burguiere). Corner kicks — Loyola 0, Columbia Falls 6. Fouls — Loyola 2, Columbia Falls 5.

Columbia Falls' Onnika Lawrence (10) shoots in the first half of the Class A soccer quarterfinals at Flip Darling Memorial Field on Saturday, Oct. 19. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Columbia Falls' Max Everett (13) shoots in the second half of the Class A soccer quarterfinals at Flip Darling Memorial Field on Saturday, Oct. 19. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Columbia Falls' River Wolford (7) shoots in the second half of the Class A soccer quarterfinals at Flip Darling Memorial Field on Saturday, Oct. 19. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider