Thompson Falls-Plains girls soccer coach Nick Lawyer knows his team is up against it when playing teams from larger population areas with more established soccer programs.

“Our games against teams Whitefish and Columbia Falls are always pretty lopsided,” he said. “They’re incredibly powerful soccer programs from big communities and playing them is always a bit like driving the tiller truck in a hurricane - it’s a white knuckle thrill.”

Lawyer and his Lady Hawks played their season home opener hosting Whitefish Saturday and the visiting Bulldogs scored the win. “Whitefish had size and speed and athleticism we couldn’t cope with,” he said.

Lawyer credited his players with great efforts in spite of the loss against the Bulldogs.

“Ava (Lawyer) made some incredible saves, as our goalkeeper we really rely on her to keep us in these games,” he said, also praising the efforts of Emalyn Roofener and Elsie Myers, saying the team relies on those two more with each passing game.

Coach Lawyer was philosophical in retrospect. “Whitefish is probably one of the top three teams in the state, with the other two being Columbia Falls and Laurel,” he said. “They were a great challenge for us and we know we need to work on our defensive third buildup play and our midfield defense.”

The Hawks have two matches this week, at Browning Friday and with Bigfork in Thompson Falls Saturday.

“Last year it was a thriller of a game against Bigfork and we’re hoping for more fireworks and more exciting soccer next Saturday,” Lawyer said.