Boys blank Lone Peak 2-0 to advance to semis

The Columbia Falls boys soccer team simply dominated Lone Peak in the quarterfinals of the state A playoffs Saturday at home.

The Cats won 2-0, but the game was never really in doubt, as the Wildcats’ young defense and goalkeeper Brady Heitz had a stellar match holding the Bighorns at bay.

The Cats got on the board at the 22-minute mark as Brady Bell wove through the Lone Peak defense for an unassisted goal.

Then three minutes into the second half Jack Harris added a score to make it 2-0.

The Cats dominated possession after that. Heitz made some nice saves on the few breaks Lone Peak had. The Cats had 11 shots, Lone Peak had seven.

After an emotional girls game, coach O’Brien Byrd noted he wasn’t exactly breathing easy to start the match, as his daughter Riley knocked in the game-tying penalty kick to send it to extra time.

So he was pleased with the boys’ effort.

“The boys game was much less stressful,” he said.

He noted they need to finish better in the upcoming playoff game. The Cats had 11 shots on goal, but just two went in.

“We really need to capitalize on those chances,” he said. 

The boys now host Polson in the semis at 5:15 p.m. Saturday night.

The Pirates are coming off a 1-0 win over Park County High School in the quarterfinals, setting a matchup of the No. 1 seeds. 

On the other side of the bracket, Whitefish faces Stevensville. The Bulldogs dropped Hamilton 3-0 in the quarters, while Stevi stunned Billings Central, the No. 1 seed  from the east, 4-3 in extra time in Billings.

Polson should be a defensive battle, Byrd said.

“The two stingiest defenses will get together,” he said, as Polson has allowed very few goals this year.

Could the Cats face the Dogs once again in a state championship? Stay tuned. The Dogs play at 11 a.m., so the Cats will know who they could potentially face before the Polson game under the lights.