Hellgate burns Bravettes

The Daily Inter Lake

MISSOULA - Claire Chisholm scored two early goals on free kicks and the Missoula Hellgate High School girls soccer team beat Flathead 4-2, handing the Bravettes their first loss.

Chisholm scored in the first minute and again in the ninth minute. Katelyn Lower added a goal in the 20th minute to give Hellgate a 3-0 lead.

Keni VanBrunt got Flathead (6-1-1, 5-1-1) back in the game when she scored an unassisted goal three minutes later, but Lower scored again in the 25th minute and the Knights led 4-1 at halftime.

Ally Krautbauer scored in the middle of the second half, but Flathead's deficit was too much to overcome, especially in nasty weather.

"We didn't play real well," said Flathead coach Scott Warnell. "We didn't finish up front like we should have."

Warnell said Flathead stuck with its original game plan until halftime when it switched to a 3-4-3 alignment and offensive emphasis.

"They came off the field definitely disappointed, but we talked about it being a long season and it's just one game in the season," Warnell said.

Flathead 1 1 - 2

Hellgate 4 0 - 4

Flathead - Keni VanBrunt, 23:00; Ally Krautbauer, 58:00

Hellgate - Claire Chisholm, 1:00; Chisholm, 9:00; Katelyn Lower, 20:00; Lower, 25:00

Shots on goal - Flathead 8, Hellgate 13

Corner kicks - Flathead 5, Hellgate 9

Goalie saves - Flathead 10 (Danika Pietron 4, Molly Benedetto), Hellgate 10 (Molly Callahan-Baumstark)

Total fouls - Flathead 15, Hellgate 8

Cards - None

Braves 4, Knights 2

MISSOULA - Andrew Gill notched a hat trick as Flathead beat Missoula Hellgate 4-2 on Thursday to remain undefeated in Western AA play.

The Knights (5-3, 4-2) had just one conference loss before the match, so Flathead needed a win to prevent a tie atop the standings.

"(Gill) really stepped up and played great," said Flathead coach Eric Sawtelle. "Before the game, I told him 'we really need a big game from you.'"

Gill scored in the second minute off a Chresten Knaff assist and again two minutes later on an assist from Luke Fischer. Fischer assisted Connor Cavigli's goal in the 31st minute to give Flathead a 3-0 lead which it held at halftime.

Gill made it 4-0 when he scored on a Cavigli assist in the 50th minute and the Braves withstood a late Hellgate charge as Garion Holian scored two unassisted goals for the Knights in the final 12 minutes.

The Braves (7-1, 6-0) knew they were in good shape after scoring two quick goals on a soggy pitch.

"It just gave us a lot of confidence," Sawtelle said. "We knew this was a really big game for us and I'm really proud of the way the boys came out."

Flathead 3 1 - 4

Hellgate 0 2 - 2

Flathead - Andrew Gill (Chresten Knaff), 2:00; Gill (Luke Fischer), 4:00; Connor Cavigi (Fischer), 31:00; Gill (Cavigli), 50:00

Hellgate - Garion Holian, 68:00; Holian, 73:00

Shots on goal - Flathead 13, Hellgate 14

Corner kicks - Flathead 5, Hellgate 2

Goalie saves - Flathead 8 (Jordan Vaughan), Hellgate 5 (Willow Skyrud)

Total fouls - Flathead 9, Hellgate 6

Cards - None