Coach Nick Lawyer said his Thompson Falls-Plains girls soccer program has come a long ways in its three years of existence, and the latest results, a 2-0 loss to Bigfork in Bigfork Saturday and a 4-0 loss to Columbia Falls in Columbia Falls Sept. 29, are great examples of that growth.

“Three years ago, in the first season of high school soccer, Bigfork overwhelmed the young program 10-0 in only 40 minutes,” he said. “A year later, Thompson Falls-Plains pushed the Valkyries much harder, losing 2-1 at home and 4-1 away. Earlier this season, Bigfork came to Thompson Falls and won 7-0.

“On Saturday, the Hawks walked into halftime at Bigfork tied 0-0,” he said of the score showing how far his team has progressed.

“At Columbia Falls, we basically spent the entirety of that game defending,” Lawyer said. “At Bigfork, on their home field, not only had we kept the score 0-0 at halftime, but we weren’t defending for our lives. We were defending and possessing and attacking.”

Lawyer said eighth grader Geneva Schmidt of Trout Creek was pressed into goalkeeping duties when Ava Lawyer fell ill in Bigfork and made multiple saves in her varsity debut.

Lawyer said the sport of high school soccer will continue to grow locally with the support of the administrations involved.

“The Hawks are still a relatively new program in the high school sports landscape. At times, players have felt overlooked and underestimated,” he said. “Those experiences can be difficult for young athletes, especially while playing a sport that is still establishing its place within their schools and communities.”

The Hawks complete regular season play with a pair of senior night matches this week, against Columbia Falls in Thompson Falls Tuesday and with Browning in Plains Friday.