Cats thump Dogs for key conference win

The Columbia Falls girls soccer team kept on winning this past week with a huge 3-1 conference victory over the rival Bulldogs last Thursday at home. They also thumped the Glacier Wolfpack JV, 10-0 Sept. 2 in a nonconference match.

Riley Byrd, Taylor Rodgers and Evie Dorr each scored one a piece in against the Whitefish.

“It was a hard-fought game, and you have to give a lot of credit for Whitefish being a young team, on the road in a tough environment and battling the way they did. Ultimately though, the girls showed a lot of toughness and experience in battling through some moments of adversity and getting the result we needed. We have a lot to work on, but we are off to a strong start,” coach Thomas Clark said.

The Wildcats struck first when Byrd (Taylor Rodgers assist) would sink a shot in the first half. The Bulldogs would tie it up with a shot by Hayley Reardon at 50 minutes, but Rodgers (Lawrence) came back at the 68th minute mark to put the Wildcats up again. Dorr (Lawrence) would close the doghouse door for good with her shot at the 72nd minute mark.

The girls are playing as a single unit.

“It really is a privilege as a coach, because a lot of the girls have played together for so long and they already have a built-in chemistry on the field. So, for us when we are trying to work on weaknesses or implement new ideas, the learning process really moves quickly. Soccer is such a team sport and being able to understand where your teammate is going to be and have the trust piece, it’s a huge deal. This a special group, no doubt about it,” Clark said,

The Wildcats had 14 shots on the goal, and the defense only allowed six for the Bulldogs. Keeper Elaina Dorr remained strong between the posts with 12 saves on the night. The Cats had six fouls while the Dogs had three.

In Tuesday’s matchup, the Cats’ leading scorers were Onnikka Lawrence with a hat trick, followed by Bella Mann, Taylor Rodgers, Riley Byrd each with two, and Harper Holloway with one in the blowout.

“I want to thank our administration for working with Glacier High School to help get this game on our schedule. The game was another opportunity for us to continue to hone in on our identity as a group and I thought the girls took another step in the right direction. It was an important match for us in helping us prepare for our conference slate,” Clark said.

The Kats will have two games this week. They played Thompson Falls/Plains at home on Tuesday. They travel to Bigfork Saturday for a conference matchup against Bigfork at 2 p.m.

“We are going to prepare for Thompson Falls and Bigfork like any other game week, taking it one game at a time. I don’t want to use coach speak, but the reality is you have to be present. You have to be engaged in training sessions, every single game regardless of opponent, or you just aren’t going to improve at the level you need to,” Clark said.

On Tuesday the girls beat Class B Thompson Falls/Plains 8-0. Bella Mann had a hat trick in the win.