Glacier soccer squads rarin' to go at state

Both Glacier soccer squads will have a mighty test in the opening round of the AA state tournament in Helena starting Thursday.

The Wolfpack boys face defending champion Billings West at noon and the girls take on three-time defending champion Bozeman at 2:30 p.m.

"They're really excited," Glacier boys coach Ryan O'Rourke said. "The good thing is I don't think they're happy with just being in the state tourney, they want to be playing in that state championship game."

For that to happen, the Wolfpack will need to solve the Golden Bears defense. The past two seasons, Billings West has allowed only five goals (three this season). In that time, they are 25-0-2, with the one tie this season coming to Bozeman.

"Billings is obviously a very strong program and I think that for us to succeed against them we're going to need to have 100 percent focus from all 11 players on the field. They will have to be willing to go all 80 minutes and give everything they have."

The Wolfpack went 3-3 in October but gained some steam with a 3-0 play-in victory over Missoula Big Sky last week to earn the first state tourney bid in the program's three-year history.

"I think we played very well against Big Sky and that was a very good confidence booster for us," O'Rourke said. "We're a team that when we play well we really can play with anybody in the state and compete, and the guys know that."

O'Rourke said the Wolfpack are eager to take on the champs thanks to a headstrong group of veterans that includes seven seniors, including captains Seth Bumgarner and Joey Snyder. Senior Josh Neiman leads the team in goals with five.

The girls team is back at state for the first time since 2007 and has a rematch with the team that beat them up 8-0 in the opening round that year.

But, as Glacier coach Paul Holmgren puts it, "Bozeman's going to see a different Wolfpack" this time around.

"It's going to be a competitive game," Holmgren said. "I don't think we're overconfident but they feel that they're every bit as capable of winning as any team going to state."

Ten seniors grace the Wolfpack roster, including captains Skyler St. Onge, Sydney Sharaf, Molly Benedetto and Maddey Frey. Frey, a senior and defending Western AA player of the year, leads the team in goals with eight.

The Wolfpack defense and goalies Patty Hughes and Kayla Byle, who share time, allowed more than one goal in a game only twice.

"When we're at our best, we're all working together as a team, and when we're doing that and everybody's focused we're pretty tough," Holmgren said. "This last week is as close as we've come all year to accomplishing that. It really was good for them to see how good they can play when everybody's on the same page."