Boys soccer gets a pair of shutout wins

The Columbia Falls boys soccer team picked up two conference wins last week, dropping Browning 8-0 Tuesday and Bigfork 2-0 Thursday.

Easton Corbet had two goals and an assist against the Indians.

Against Bigfork, Brady Bell has the hot hand, scoring a goal on an assist by Whit Albrecht at the 25th minute and another at the 51st minute on an assist by Logan Ruggerio.

The Wildcats dominated possession in the game, with 24 shots on the Vikings.

The team was coming off back-to-back losses on the road against Livingston and Billings Central, so it was good to get back on track, noted coach O’Brien Byrd. The program hadn’t had back-to-back losses in years.

While time of possession isn’t an actual stat in soccer, Byrd said they had the ball about 85% of the time against Bigfork.

Keeper Talon Bates had light work, turning away two Vikings shots. Everyone played and at one point, four freshmen were on the pitch for the Cats. 

They played a non-conference game against Sandpoint, Idaho on Tuesday after presstime. Sandpoint won its state title last year and Byrd welcomed the competition in what amounted to an exhibition game, as it did not count toward standings.

The team then has two more conference matchups this week, with a game against Libby Thursday on the road and another Saturday against perennial foe Whitefish.

The Whitefish game starts at 11 a.m. at Smith Fields and as every year, will be one of the top games of the season.

Byrd said they need to improve finishing their attacks, as they’ve had plenty of shots on goal as of late.

“We’ve got to score more on our chances,” he said.