The Flathead Bravettes clinched a spot at the Class AA state soccer tournament with a dramatic 3-2 playoff victory over Missoula Big Sky last week.

Now the real fun begins as Class AA’s top eight teams convene at Siebel Fields in Helena to determine a champion.

Flathead (8-4-1) is the second seed from Western AA and is making its third state tournament appearance in four years. It’s first-round opponent, Eastern AA No. 3 seed Great Falls C.M. Russell (9-4-0), is in the state tournament for the 10th straight year.

The Bravettes opened the season 2-3-1 and were part of a logjam in the middle of the conference standings when they ripped off five consecutive victories. All were clean sheets, including a 1-0 victory over crosstown-rival Glacier and a 1-0 win over Missoula Sentinel that vaulted Flathead up to second-place in Western AA.

“I think it really started with defensive energy, defensive shape and structure all over the field,” Flathead coach Cory Wilson said. “Understanding principles of defense. We just got really stingy all over the field. They’re playing with a lot more grit than we saw at the first part of the season.”

Wilson said he saw signs of what his team was capable of before the winning streak began when it went to Missoula and earned a 2-2 tie against then second-place Sentinel.

“Twice that game they came back from deficits and they showed a lot of heart,” he said. “We had a good road record and I think that proved a lot about this team.”

The Bravettes faced adversity early when one of their top defenders, junior Monica White, went down with a knee injury and Wilson was forced to shuffle the lineup. Sophomore Stephanie Wilson moved from the midfield to sweeper and senior Joey Thiel moved from forward to central midfield. Both thrived in their new positions, with Stephanie leading a young but talented back line and Thiel teaming with senior Jacquelyn Merrill to overpower opponents in the midfield.

White returned as a forward with four games remaining in the regular season and added a cutting edge to Flathead’s offense with her speed and crossing ability. She scored one of the Bravettes’ three goals in their playoff victory over Big Sky and helped set up the other two.

Flathead has received consistent offensive production from senior Paige Birky, who scored a clutch game-winner in the 73rd minute of the playoff game and leads the Bravettes with six goals. Senior forward Anna Milheim is the team’s second-leading scorer with four goals.

“I think one of the biggest keys to our team’s success has been the way they’ve been able to bond on and off the field,” Coach Wilson said. “They’re a group of kids that really enjoy being around each other. They really represent what a team should be.”

Flathead lost its regular season finale 3-0 to Western AA champion Helena High, but Wilson believes his team is peaking at the right time, especially after winning its playoff game in thrilling fashion.

“They’ve definitely got some momentum going in,” he said. “I think they’re playing as well as they have at any point during this season. They’re definitely playing as a team better than they have at any point. I expect this team to go into the state tournament and compete well with some of the elite teams.”

Flathead will be tested right away against CMR. Like Flathead, CMR has also won six of its last seven games. Unlike Flathead, which has won with stout defense, CMR has been an offensive juggernaut, scoring at least three goals in five of its last seven. Sophomore Eme McLaughlin tied Bozeman’s Averie Collins for the Class AA scoring title with 17 regular season goals and CMR showed its depth in its playoff game against Butte when five different girls scored in a 5-0 shutout.

“They’re a very good, very solid No. 3 seed,” Wilson said of CMR. “They beat some of the teams in front of them, including Bozeman. They’ve scored a tremendous number of goals and have been pretty stingy in the back as well.”

Wilson said CMR typically uses a 4-3-3 formation, which is more attack-minded than the traditional 4-4-2.

“It will put plenty of pressure on our defense and our goalie, but will also create some opportunities for us,” he said. “The girls need to come ready to play for a full 80 minutes, which the last couple of contests, even in our playoff game, we’ve struggled with.”

The game between Flathead and CMR kicks off today at 2:30 p.m. The winner will face the winner between Billings Senior and Missoula Hellgate in the semifinals. Senior won the Eastern AA conference title with a 10-1-1 record while Hellgate finished sixth in the West before upsetting Sentinel in a playoff game.

Defending state champion Bozeman is in the other half of the bracket along with Helena High, Helena Capital and Billings Skyview.

The tournament continues on Friday and concludes on Saturday.

Class AA Girls State Soccer Tournament

At Siebel Fields in Helena

Thursday

First round

2:30 p.m. — Helena High vs. Billings Skyview

2:30 p.m. — Helena Capital vs. Bozeman

2:30 p.m. — Billings Senior vs. Missoula Hellgate

2:30 p.m. — Great Falls C.M. Russell vs. Flathead

Friday

Semifinals — 1: 30 p.m.

Consolation — 11 a.m.

Saturday

Fifth place — 10 a.m.

Third place — 10 a.m.

Championship — 12:30 p.m.