Kats defeat Hellgate

Hungry Horse News

The Columbia Falls girls soccer team is just that.

A team.

They win together, like they did against Hellgate Saturday, prevailing 2-1.

They also lose together, as they did Tuesday night against Flathead, 5-0.

The win against Hellgate was especially sweet for the Kats, who had lost the previous two years to the Knights.

Head coach Greg Trenerry was pleased with the win, despite losing senior goalkeeper Vanessa Almanza to a controversial red card call.

"I disagree with the call because I don't think it was inentional," he said. "But we're not going to whine about it. They got it back together, I give (the team) a lot of credit for that in that match."

Colyne Hislop was inserted into the goal after Almanza's ejection, and performed well in her place, tallying nine saves.

The goals were scored by Alona Raymond and Lisa Carter, and Trenerry said the team gave a strong effort, considering they were a player short after the red card.

Against Flathead, however, the defense struggled, allowing five goals.

Trenerry said that Flathead appeared just a step quicker than the Kats, leading to some defensive lapses.

"I thought our midfield did okay," he said. "The second half they did pressure pretty well. Our defense was where we were having some problems… We learned a few things there. We have to work a little harder."

Improving conditioning and quick midfield play will be points of focus this week, Trenerry said, but he gave credit to the Kats for playing hard against such a tough opponent.

"(Flathead has) a good team," he said. "We hope to be that team next year."

Although the girls had hoped to finish the season undefeated, Trenerry said they will put this game behind them and focus on improving before the Whitefish match on Sept. 27.

"That's a match, I think, that's real big for us," he said.

The Kats travel this Saturday to take on Polson, with the match starting at 11 a.m.

Cats roughed up by Braves

By JOHN VAN VLEET

Hungry Horse News

The Columbia Falls boys soccer team has had its share of ups and downs already this season.

The Cats (2-1-2), playing two games in the past week, tied AA Hellgate 1-1 last Thursday before losing to AA Flathead on Tuesday 7-1.

Against Hellgate, the Cats relied on an attacking offense, managed 15 shots on goal, but head coach Peter Browne said that more offense is needed.

"We have a good crew, we just need to work on scoring goals," he said. "To beat teams, we've got to start burying the ball."

Travis Pete's score at 75 minutes tied the game at one apiece and would stand as the Cats' lone goal.

Hellgate took an early lead at 16 minutes, but both teams played strong midfield defense to limit the offensive chances as the game progressed.

Against Flathead, the boys weren't as fortunate.

The Braves dominated play, putting on a veritable clinic, outplaying the Cats in nearly every aspect of the game.

Just before the two minute mark, Cory Pete scored the game's first goal on assist from Guy Smith to put the Cats up 1-0.

But from there, things went downhill quickly.

Flathead answered at the 2:50 mark, tying the game at one, before netting two more goals in a two minute span later in the half.

The offense struggled, mustering only seven shots, and Browne said there weren't many good things to take from the match.

"As far as positive things, I didn't see much," he said. "We've just got to learn from it and move on."

The team will play at Polson this Saturday, with the match starting at 1 p.m.