Class AA Soccer Playoffs: Glacier Hosts, Flathead On The Road
GLACIER
TODAY: The boys and girls are both home for play-in games at Glacier High School. The Wolfpack girls face Helena Capital at 2:30 p.m. followed by the Wolfpack boys vs. Missoula Big Sky at 4:30 p.m. Winners advance to the state tournament Oct. 29-31 in Helena.
RIGHT TO HOST: Glacier earned the right to host both matches by finishing fourth in the final Western AA standings. Capital and Big Sky were No. 5 finishers.
GIRLS MATCHUP: Glacier (5-5-2) and Helena Capital (3-4-5) met twice during the regular season with the Wolfpack coming away with a slight edge. On Sept. 12 at Glacier, the Wolfpack topped Capital 3-1 on a pair of goals by Maddey Frey and one from Skyler St. Onge. Glacier outshot the Bruins 24-14. On Oct. 3 in Helena, the two teams battled to a 1-all tie. St. Onge scored for the Wolfpack. Shots on goal slightly favored Glacier, 14-12.
KEY STATS: Glacier has scored 15 goals this season while allowing 14; Capital's numbers are 14-14.
WATCH TO WATCH FOR: Frey is the third-leading scorer in the West with eight goals and one assist for 25 points. Capital's Jaimee Hulst is fifth with sixth goals for 18 points.
BOYS MATCHUP: Glacier (7-5-0) and Missoula Big Sky (2-7-3) met twice during the regular season with the Wolfpack earning the sweep. On Sept. 15 in Missoula, Glacier senior forwards Ron Howell and Josh Neiman each scored in the 2-1 victory. Glacier outshot Big Sky 14-10 on goal. Then on Oct. 8 in Kalispell, Glacier trailed 2-0 at the half, but rallied for a 3-2 victory in a very physical match. Brad Holmgren (penalty kick), Ian Cavigli and Tanner Maloney scored for the Wolfpack. Glacier led in shots on goal 11-9 and both team had 10 fouls.
KEY STATS: Glacier has scored 20 goals to date, allowing 18. Big Sky has also scored 20, but has allowed 33.
WATCH TO WATCH FOR: Neiman is eighth in scoring in the West with five goals and two assists for 17 points. Big Sky's Petr Vodicka is tied for sixth with six goals and one assist for 19 points. Big Sky's Mitch Speltz is tied for ninth with five goals for 15 points.
FLATHEAD
FRIDAY: The boys and girls are both on the road for play-in games in two different cities. The Flathead boys visit Helena Capital at 3:30 p.m., while the FHS girls travel to Missoula Hellgate for a 4 p.m. start. Winners advance to the state tournament Oct. 29-31 in Helena.
TRAVELING, INSTEAD OF HOSTING: Teams finishing 2-3-4 in the Western Division standings are play-in game hosts. Those finishing 5-6-7 are on the road. The Braves and Bravettes both finished sixth in the standings, which matched them with the No. 3 finisher.
BOYS MATCHUP: Flathead (2-9-1) and Helena Capital (7-4-1) met twice during the regular season. On Sept. 11 in Kalispell, Capital scored three times in the first eight minutes of play en route to a 3-0 victory. Capital held a slight edge in shots on goal 20-17. On Oct. 10 in Helena, Capital scored three times in the first 24 minutes to claim a 3-1 victory. James McCarthy scored for Flathead. Capital outshot Flathead 15-13.
KEY STATS: Flathead has scored just 10 goals this season, allowing 33. Capital has scored 16 and allowed 12.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Derik Chaney of Capital is the No. 5 scoring leader in the West with 20 points on five goals and five assists. Flathead does not have a player ranked in the top 10.
GIRLS MATCHUP: Flathead (3-4-5) and Missoula Hellgate (5-3-4) played twice during the regular season. The two teams opened the season Sept. 3 in Missoula with the Bravettes notching a 3-0 victory. Chelsea Shuman scored twice for FHS and Kassi Hebert had the other goal. Hellgate had 10 shots on goal to Flathead's nine. Twenty days later in Kalispell, the two teams battled to a 4-4 tie. Shuman had two goals and an assist. Brittany Earnest and Malia Ozegovich had the other goals for FHS. The Bravettes outshot Hellgate 18-9.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Shuman is the No. 2 scorer in the West with eight goals and two assists for 26 points. Hellgate's Lisa Dallapiazza leads with 10 goals and two assists for 32 points.