Braves soccer readies for play-in game vs. Sentinel

The Flathead boys soccer team is exactly where it envisioned itself at the outset of the 2017 season.

One of the Braves’ primary goals was to earn a berth in the state tournament, which they’ve missed out on the past two seasons.

Flathead will have the opportunity to earn a spot in the state tournament in its match against Missoula Sentinel at 3:30 p.m. this afternoon.

“They’ve continued to improve every season, and this is where they want to be,” Flathead coach Nate Evans said of his core of contributors this year. “They want to play in that state tournament.”

Flathead earned the right to host the play-in game with a 4-1 victory over Sentinel last Saturday.

“That’s nice this time of year, avoiding that bus ride,” Evans said. “The kids will be rested.”

Last Saturday’s win gave the Braves a season split in two meetings against the Spartans, and Evans is confident his team will not take its opponent lightly, even after the comfortable victory just days ago.

“We get pretty familiar with them during the regular season,” Evans said. “We just hope to show up and exploit those things and do our part to win.”

The winner of the game will advance to the Class AA boys state tournament, which begins next Thursday in Missoula.