The Northern A is good at soccer, and the usual suspects — Columbia Falls, along with neighboring Whitefish — will be tough to knock off the conference pinnacle. 

The Wildkats and Lady Bulldogs both lost in the girls Class A semifinals a season ago, and it’s the Kats that return the most experience. 

As in, eight girls who garnered either All-State or all-conference honors. 

“We’re excited,” Wildkats coach Thomas Clark said. “Any time you can have nine upperclassmen starters, and one of your underclassmen starters is an All-State player (sophomore Evie Dorr), you’re in pretty good shape to compete with anyone.” 

Elaina Dorr — the keeper — and fellow seniors Mila Johns and Bella Mann are co-captains for the squad, which went 10-3-1 last season, ending with a 3-2 loss to eventual champion Billings Central. 

“Our other seniors, Taylor Rodgers, and Isla Alexander, will be great leaders as well,” Clark said. “Taylor is a two-time All-State player.” 

Alexa Friske was also All-State last season; fellow juniors Riley Byrd and Onnika Lawrence were all-Northern A, as were Alexander, Johnson and Mann. 

“If you shut down one kid you have another to deal with, and you can say that all over the field,” Clark said. “We’re excited to watch them put on a show throughout the games. 

“You take it for granted how much improvement has happened over time. Some of the girls are playing soccer all year-round, and those who aren’t are crushing it in other sports. It’s been fun to work with them and we’re ready to kick it with someone else after two weeks of practice.” 

The season opens Friday with a home match against Laurel, which lost to Central in last year’s state championship. It will start at 6 p.m. 

Meanwhile Whitefish is having to replace 10 seniors who helped the Lady Bulldogs get to the semifinals, where they lost 3-0 to Laurel. Then they lost top player Grace Sliman to a leg injury during fall drills.  

All is not lost. Second-year coach Kelly Ordway does have a couple all-conference athletes back in sophomore Sage Ordway, her daughter, and senior keeper Jackie Solem. 

Solem and fellow seniors Taylor Dorvall and Anna Guzman are co-captains, and Macie Schmidt gives Whitefish another senior returning starter. 

Add in juniors Amelia Crezowski, Deliah Vine and burner Anna Boysen — “Great speed,” Kelly Ordway said — and that’s a good nucleus.  

Ordway is also excited about a strong freshman class; eight ninth-graders are on the varsity squad, including attacking midfielder Neva Sliman and forward Hayley Reardon. 

“They’re going to be really fun to watch,” Ordway said. “They have great synergy. One of the things I asked them at the beginning of season was to name their team goals, and they all said just to be connected as a team. That’s a beautiful goal.” 

The Lady Bulldogs play host to Lockwood Friday at 4 p.m. 

The Northern A has six teams, though Browning is playing a JV schedule.  

Bigfork is not to be overlooked: Paeten Gunlock, All-State last season, leads a squad that includes fellow seniors Brynn Bagley, Ione Plummer and Peyton Benson. 

Thompson Falls-Plains has an all-Northern player in Solveig Nygaard.