Boys soccer notches a couple more wins
Nancy Underdahl | Hungry Horse News | UPDATED 10 months, 2 weeks AGO
Jack Harris shoots during the Wildkats 2-0 win over Bigfork. Seth Anderson Photo.
The Columbia Falls boys soccer team continued their strong season with two impressive wins this past week against Thompson Falls/Plains and Bigfork.
On Tuesday, the Wildcats traveled to face Thompson Falls/Plains and delivered a commanding 10-0 victory. Brady Bell scored a hat trick during the game, leading the offense.
In their much anticipated Homecoming game versus Bigfork, Columbia Falls came out on top with a hard-fought 2-0 victory. With both teams applying pressure and strong defensive efforts, the first goal didn’t come until three minutes into the second half when Bell (Jackson Scholz, assist) found the back of the net. The Wildcats sealed their win in the 76th minute mark, as Scholz scored with a solo shot, putting the game out of reach for Bigfork.
“Bigfork gave us the right amount of push for a very close and competitive game. These kinds of games sharpen us as we get closer to postseason play. We outshot them 22 to 10 and only scored two goals, so we have a lot of work to do on finishing chances this week.
“Two of our freshmen, Nolan Kavanagh and Chance Pfiefle, played big minutes for us. They seemed to thrive under the spotlight, which is impressive for their age. Brady Heitz, Javien Mata, Eli Crockett, and Sol Masters worked incredibly hard to keep a shutout and keep us in the game. Their defensive work does not go unnoticed by us,” said coach O’Brien Byrd.
Columbia Falls generated 22 shots on goal, while their defense limited the Vikings to just 10. Goalie Heitz was a standout performer, making 8 crucial saves to preserve the shutout. The Wildcats committed 8 fouls, while Bigfork had 5 and received a yellow card.
Columbia Falls will host Browning on Thursday and Libby on Saturday, both matches at Flip-Darling Field. Their previous contest with Libby saw the Wildcats rally for a come-from-behind 4-2 victory. The team is also gearing up for a highly anticipated showdown against the Whitefish Bulldogs on the following Tuesday in Whitefish. When these rivals last met in Columbia Falls, the Wildcats fell short, losing 2-0.
“As we look at the three games closing out the regular season, we’re definitely focusing on preparing for the last game against Whitefish. As usual, it will be for the conference title. We can’t wait for that game,” said Byrd.