Despite lightning delay, Glacier Showcase goes on
FRITZ NEIGHBOR | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 7 months, 4 weeks AGO
Lucie Rokos weaves her way through the Air Force defense during the Glacier Park College Soccer Showcase. Seth Anderson Photo.
SPORTS EDITOR Fritz Neighbor is the Sports Editor for the Daily Inter Lake. He oversees sports coverage across the Flathead Valley, including high school athletics, youth sports, and regional competitions. In his leadership role, he helps shape the newspaper’s sports coverage and editorial direction. Fritz’s column, Full Count, taps into his decades’ long career covering Montana sports. You’ll also see Fritz sharing his thoughts and insights on the Big Sky Now podcast. IMPACT: Fritz’s work celebrates the athletes and teams that bring Northwest Montana communities together. | August 6, 2025 7:10 AM
The second annual Glacier Park College Soccer Showcase went off with one hitch.
Zapped out Sunday night by a lightning storm, the exhibition took place Monday morning in front of an appreciative crowd at Flip Darly Memorial Field in Columbia Falls.
Air Force Academy prevailed over the Montana Grizzlies, 1-0, after three 30-minute “thirds.”
“You can have those in exhibitions,” event organizer O’Brien Byrd said. “It allows the coaches to coach more in between those thirds, instead of one halftime.”
So: bonus soccer was made available, and at a high level.
“It was hotly contested,” said Byrd. “Both teams had dangerous opportunities, defended well — it was counter-attacking soccer that takes your breath away. For a preseason exhibition, it looked like a final. They were going for it.”
Montana and Gonzaga played the first showcase last August, to an overflow crowd. This year’s version included youth camps put on Sunday by both programs. Byrd said 100 or so athletes signed up for the camps, with 70 of them doing both Air Force’s and Montana’s.
“Both were coached by the college players, and each had six or seven different stations,” he said. “There were photos, autographs. Then the kids showed up at the exhibition in their autographed shirts.
“We had right around 1,000 (Sunday) night, and I would say this morning we had 750 — pretty impressive for a Monday morning, everybody-backat- work, 10 a.m. match.”
Both teams planned to stay over on Sunday night, given the 7 p.m. start. Calmer weather greeted the players and fans on Monday.
“Lightning delay aside, it went incredibly well,” Byrd said. “Both coaches were very, very happy. We did have to scramble and find some hotel rooms for some referees.”
A year ago Montana went on to have a 12-25 season, including a loss on penalty kicks in the Big Sky Conference championship. Air Force was 5-10-3 in 2024.
Montana’s squad includes Glacier High product Reagan Brisendine, who played 30 minutes.
Byrd counted himself as happy, and tired — and looking forward to the next one.
“Stay tuned for next year,” he said. “It’s going to be bigger and better. We’re going to be shooting for four teams instead of two.”
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