On to the Finals for girls soccer team

Columbia Falls girls soccer is on its way to the state A championship game after a tough, physical matchup against the Bighorns from Lone Peak Saturday at Flip Darling Field.  Led by Bella Mann, who scored two goals, and Riley Byrd, who provided two assists, the Wildcats secured a 4-1 victory in the semifinal contest.

The action kicked off when the Wildcats made an offensive run and it paid off in a surprising way at the 38th minute when Lone Peak accidentally sent the ball into their own net with Bella Mann right on the defender’s heels, giving Columbia Falls an early lead. The momentum briefly shifted after halftime, when the Bighorns roared back with intensity. At the 49-minute mark, Lone Peak’s Harper Morris broke through the Wildcats’ defense and fired a shot over keeper Elaina Dorr’s reach to tie the game.

The Wildcats wasted no time reclaiming control. Just six minutes later, at the 55th minute, Bella Mann, with an amazing assist by Riley Byrd, found the back of the net, swinging the energy back to Columbia Falls. 

The dynamic duo was just getting started. Nine minutes after their first connection, Byrd delivered another assist, and Mann responded, blasting home her second goal of the match.

With time winding down and Lone Peak scrambling to recover, Columbia Falls delivered the finishing blow when Onnikka Lawrence placed a perfectly timed pass to Taylor Rodgers, who nailed the back of the net to seal a commanding 4-1 victory for the Wildcats. 

The Cats had 9 shots on the afternoon, and Lone Peak had 10.  Elaina Dorr had 10 saves and the Cats came away with 3 fouls in the battle.

“We were confident going into the game but knew Lone Peak would give us a run for our money and they did just that. The first half was a battle and felt chaotic at times but after a reassuring halftime talk, we came back out onto the field with an incredible amount of grit to get the job done. The nerves disappeared in the second half as we started playing the way we know how to, everyone was in sync which made a big difference on the field, leading us to a 4-1 victory which brings us to the state championship next weekend,” Mann said. “Heading into the championship next weekend, our team chemistry is stronger than ever.  We trust each other and communicate well, which gives us a lot of confidence.  We’re excited and ready to give it our all, knowing that our big rivalry with Bigfork will lead to an exciting battle. We love having the support of our coaches, families, and community behind us. It’s going to be a great game.”

Coach Thomas Clark spoke to the game.

“I think the girls started off a little bit slow in the first half.  Lone Peak came out with a lot of intensity, pressed hard and caused a lot of problems in the first half. As the girls came into the game, we really started to dominate possession and create more chances.  In the second half, the girls really stepped up their game and dominated the midfield and put a stranglehold on the game.  We’ve worked really hard on scoring in a lot of different ways.  We are dangerous on free kicks and corner kicks and seeing a lot of different goal scorers.  It’s been a fun ride this post season,” Clark said. “Bigfork is a good team, they defend well and they can cause a lot of problems on the counter. We know what they do and they know how we play, so it will be a battle. At the end of the day, we are going to prepare the same way and look to exploit what we’ve seen in previous matchups and on film.  With Ion Plummer and Paeten Gunlock, they will work hard and shoot from anywhere, we will have to contain them. Luckily, we have a lot of great players and I think they’re going to put on a show.”

The Cats beat Bigfork and tied them in the regular season.

The Wildcats will face off against the Valkyries on Saturday at 5 p.m. at home. Columbia Falls has not won a girls soccer championship since 2004 when they beat Laurel 6-1.