COLUMBIA FALLS — Polson’s girls soccer team notched its first tick in the tie column this season, drawing 0-0 with Columbia Falls on Thursday.

“It was a well-played match of two teams,” Polson coach Michael Hewston said. “Columbia Falls has a very good program up there, and to settle for a 0-0 tie after losing 10-0 last year. ... It’s the best I have ever felt for a tie.”

Freshman keeper Jenna Evertz came up big for the Pirates, making 10 saves in the match.

Hewston also noted freshman defenders Hanna Hobbs and Olivia Hewston for holding their own against the Wildkats’ larger players.

As for the Polson offense, the fact that they didn’t score didn’t mean Hewston was unhappy with the effort. The Pirates managed nine shots on goal, but two offsides penalties marred any chances for a score.

“We really need to have that corrected before meeting them again,” he said.

The tie comes after a 4-2 home loss to Whitefish in which Sarah Howell and Tessa Nunlist scored the Polson goals. The Pirates outshot the Bulldogs, a team they haven’t beaten in more than a decade, 13-11 in the match, but the few mistakes they made were costly.

“Two mistakes on defense and three sure-shot missed scoring opportunities were the difference in the game,” he said. “We cannot make mistakes against teams of this caliber because they will turn them into goals.”

Hewston feels his team is capable of competing with the Bulldogs, one of the top programs in the state.

“It was a 50-50 game coming in, and we thought we could pull it off,” he said. “[We] had [our] opportunities to both even the score and take the win but it was not meant to be.”