Pirate soccer teams remain in hunt for playoff berths
Polson Pirate Tray Lichtenberg (3) tangles with Columbia Falls’ Nico Lang for possession of the ball during a recent game. (Jeremy Weber/Hungry Horse News)
Lady Pirate Megan Rost (8) heads the ball during play at Columbia Falls. Rost ordinarily plays goalkeeper, the only player in soccer allowed to use her hands. Looking on is WildKat (16) Flora Jarvis.The cast Rost is wearing is to protect a broken finger she sustained while attending a gridiron football game when an overzealous fan ripped a flag out of her grasp, taking her finger along with it. (Jeremy Weber/Hungry Horse News)
At Libby, the visiting Lady Pirates got an early goal from Ali Hupka, but Libby scored just before intermission to even the contest, then scored a go-ahead goal halfway through the second half to force Polson to rally.
Sophia Moderie would net the equalizer, followed by another goal within minutes to take the lead. Autumn Burland added an insurance policy by tacking on a cushion goal. Moderie’s goals give her 17 thus far.
At Columbia Falls, future UM Lady Griz recruit Josie Windauer found the back of the net with under five minutes remaining in the first half, but Lady Pirate Sophia Moderie countered with the equalizer two minutes later to knot the contest at one apiece heading into intermission.
The second half would remain scoreless as the defense on both sides repelled multiple incursions into their side of the field until WildKat LaKia Hill was able to thread the needle between a seam in the Polson defense to tap in the go ahead goal.
The tight contest showed measureable improvement on the part of the Lady Pirates, who lost 3-7 at home during the first game of the season.
The Polson equalizer was the 15th goal of the season by Moderie, while Windauer leads the Class A ranks with 25 goals according to the NWMTA Leaguelineup website tally. Windauer is the niece of Polson-based DDS Mike Windauer of Windauer Family Dentistry.
WildKat goalkeeper Avé McDonald formerly resided in Polson, the daughter of the late Ranald McDonald, long time CSKT attorney.
Former Pirate all-stater Jonathan Murphy (Polson, class of 2011), who extended his prep soccer career playing for Rocky Mountain College, is an assistant coach for the WildKat girls soccer program.
Polson hosts Whitefish on Senior Night Thursday followed by their regular schedule finale at Bigfork Saturday.
Polson 4, Libby 2
Polson (3-3n, 4-6), Libby (1-5n, 1-9)
Polson 1 3 – 4
Libby 1 1 – 2
P – g Ali Hupka 28’
L – g Lucy Johnson 40’
L – g Cierra Lucas (a ) 63’
P – g Sophia Moderie 64’
P – g Moderie (a Autumn Burland) 65’
P – g Burland (a Hupka) 67’
SHOTS (on-goal) – P 12sh(7sog), L 5sh(3sog)
SAVES – P (Jalynn Farmer 1), L (Bethany Thomas 3)
CORNERS – P4ck, L0ck. FOULS & CARDS na.
indiv sh(SOG) – POLSON: Moderie 5(3), Burland 3(2), Hupka 2(1), Lilly Armstrong (1), Megan Rost 1; LIBBY: #11 Lucy Johnson (1), #13 Ruby Martin (1), #18 Cierra Lucas (1), noID 2. (Sa05Oct19)
Columbia Falls 2, Polson 1
Polson (2-3n, 3-6), C-Falls (6-0n, 9-1)
Polson 1 0 – 1
C-Falls 1 1 – 2
CF – g Josie Windauer 36’
P – g Sophia Moderie 38’
CF – g LaKia Hill 74’
SHOTS (on-goal) – P 10, CF 29
SAVES – P 27 (Jalynn Farmer , Micaela Redwine 1), CF 11 (Avé McDonald )
CORNERS – P1ck, CF5ck. FOULS – P na, CF1f. CARDS – CF1y (Windauer).
indiv sh(SOG) – POLSON 9(8): Moderie (6), Autumn Burland 2(1), Ali Hupka (1) C-FALLS 13(12): Windauer (3), Hill (1), Maddy Robison (1), Cheyanne Johnston-Heinz (1). (Th03Oct19)
Asterisk (*) denotes stat variant(s) where alternate data exists: LP iPad specs P9sh(8sog)/CF13sh(12sog); P:Farmer 6sv, Redwine 1sv/McDonald 6sv.
Prep boys soccer
At Libby, the visiting Pirates were embroiled in a scoreless tie the first half, but a Kaden Nelson penalty kick and a Tristan Clifford mortar shell from 20-some yards out would secure the win and keep Polson in the hunt for the Northern Conference third seed.
Head coach Adam Fansher pointed out that this was the Pirates “first clean sheet (shutout). It was all about defense,” but acknowledged that the team could have done better on the offensive end.
At Columbia Falls, the visiting Pirates and the host Wildcats generated all of the scoring in the first half. Columbia Falls struck first, but less than ten minutes later, Kaden Nelson netted the equalizer off a sweet dish from Landon Becker to knot the contest at one apiece. The Wildcats would take a goal lead when Neils Getts connected on a penalty kick. Thereafter, the second half remained scoreless despite several Pirates pushes to even the score. Fansher said, “I’m happy with the performance, but let down by the final score when we played well enough to tie.”
The Pirates host Whitefish this Thursday for Senior Night, then travel to Bigfork for a crucial regular schedule finale against the Vikings in round two of the Battle of the Bays on Flathead Lake.
Polson 2, Libby 0
Polson (3-3n, 4-6), Libby (0-6, 0-10)
Polson 0 2 – 2
Libby 0 0 – 0
P – g Kaden Nelson (pk) 41’
P – g Tristan Clifford (unassisted) 65’
SHOTS (on-goal) – P 20ish (10ish), L (4).
SAVES – P (Gabe Mergenthaler 4), L (Owen Enyeart ).
CKs, FOULS – na.
Columbia Falls 2, Polson 1
Polson (2-3n, 3-6), C-Falls (4-2n, 5-4-1)
Polson 1 0 – 1
C-Falls 2 0 – 2
CF – Simon Magg (a Johnny Carl) 6’
P – g Kaden Nelson (a Landon Becker) 14’
CF – Niels Getts (penalty kick) 39’
SHOTS (on-goal) – P 10 , CF 12
SAVES – P 4(Gabe Mergenthaler), CF 9 (Story Stemborski ).
CORNERS – P1ck, CF4ck. FOULS – P11f, CF13f. CARDS na.
(Th03Oct19)