Vikings advance to state playoffs, Valkyries done

The soccer season is over for the Bigfork girls soccer team, while the boys head into state playoffs after a week of rest.

The Vikings and Valkyries completed regular-season play last week at Libby.

The boys finished the season in second place in the Northwestern A conference with a 6-4-2 record, just behind Whitefish with a 7-3-2 record.

The girls finished the regular season 5-5-2, also behind Whitefish. Results of Tuesday’s game between Billings Central and Park County High School will determine where the Vikings play their first playoff match on Saturday.

The Vikings faced Park County earlier this season in a non-conference matchup and tied them 2-2. The last time they faced Billings Central was in the first round of the 2013 playoffs, where Billings beat Bigfork 3-1.

Though the boys lost their last regular season game to Libby, 5-0, they won their previous game against Whitefish 5-2, last Tuesday. It was the first time Bigfork has ever beaten Whitefish.

“It was one of the best games that I’ve ever been involved with,” boys’ head coach Bill Buxton said. 

Kyle Thomson scored three goals for Bigfork in the game. Tyler Zavala and Carson Cantrell scored the other two. Goalkeeper Ben Russell had six saves.

“When we played Whitefish we beat them in every aspect of the game,” Buxton said. “We attacked them aggressively, we beat them to every ball.”

Against Libby the toll of playing five games in 10 days caught up to the Vikes, but Buxton hopes the fire the Vikings showed against Whitefish will rekindle and carry them deep into playoffs.

“If we play like we did against Whitefish then I give us really good odds to get deep into the tournament,” he said. “Against Whitefish we were really well rounded and we were strong in aspect of play. And that’s just how we have to play against either Billings Central or Park County.”

The girls ended their season on a different note. While they won their last match against Libby in a 4-0 shutout, their loss to Whitefish on Tuesday 11-1 eliminated their chances of making the playoffs.

Six minutes into the game against Whitefish Gaby Eaton got a red card, forcing the Vals to play down a player almost the entire match.

In Libby, Alauna Weilacher got things rolling for the Vals scoring two goals in the first 15 minutes of play. Bigfork carried on the momentum and scored two more goals by Georgia Cleasby and Megan Pancoast.

Though the Valkyries didn’t make the playoffs they showed that they’ve got the potential to get there in future seasons. They started of the season hot, scoring more points in their first game than in all of the 2013 season, and their 5-5-2 record for 2014 is an improvement over last year’s 2-6-0.

Boys

Libby 5, Bigfork 0

Bigfork 0 0 — 0

Libby 4 1 — 5

LIBBY — Walter Briones (Cody Wood), 6:00; Sage Friss (Gio Cano, Briones), 15:00; Wood (PK), 25:00; Briones (Cano), 33:00; Briones (Wood), 49:00

Shots on goal – Bigfork 5, Libby 12; Goalie saves – Bigfork 6 (Ben Russell), Libby 5, (Zander Petersen); Corner kicks – Bigfork 3, Libby 5; Fouls – Bigfork 10, Libby 8. Cards – None.

Bigfork 5, Whitefish 2

Whitefish    1    1    —    2

Bigfork    2    3    —    5

B - Kyle Thomson, 7:00

W - Jared Johnson (Scott Marsh), 25:00

B - Tyler Zavala (penalty kick), 37:00

B - Thomson (Zavala), 47:00

B - Thomson (Carson Cantrell), 49:00

W - Marsh (Sam Heutmaker), 64:00

B - Cantrell (Thomson), 70:00

Shots on goal — W 7, B 7. Saves — W 1 (Haven Gunderson), B 6 (Ben Russell). Corner kicks — W 6, B 2. Fouls — W 6, B 6. Cards — none.

Girls

Bigfork 4, Libby 0

Bigfork 4 0 — 4

Libby 0 0 — 0

BIGFORK — Alauna Weilacher (Megan Pancoast), 7:00; Weilacher (Pancoast), 15:00; Georgia Cleasby (unassisted), 25:00; Pancoast (Weilacher), 30:00

Shots on goal – Bigfork n/a, Libby n/a; Gaolie saves – Bigfork 3 (Alyssa Beach Wallen), Libby 11 (Shannon Reny); Corner kicks – Bigfork 8, Libby 3; Fouls – Bigfork 7, Libby 1; Cards – None.

Whitefish 11, Bigfork 1

Whitefish    5    6    —    11

Bigfork    0    1    —    1

W - Haley Nicholson (Julia Houston), 10:00

W - Jess Baldonado (Nicholson), 27:00

W - McKayla Stone (Nicholson), 32:00

W - Nicholson (Anna Peterson), 37:00

W - Nicholson (Peterson), 39:00

B - Katie Thomas (penalty kick), 50:00

W - Baldonado (Callie Ling), 52:00

W - Grace Kurtz (Katie Blakenship), 52:00

W - Nicholson (Audrey Hyatt), 61:00

W - Nicholson (Stone), 67:00

W - Ling (Baldonado), 73:00

W - Baldonado (Stone), 75:00

Shots on goal — W 27, B 6. Saves — W 5 (Kess Nelson), B 9 (Ally Pancoast, Celeste Rehbein). Corner kicks — W 4, B 2. Red card — Bigfork 1.