Cats eliminated from playoffs with 3-2 shootout loss to Libby

By JOE SOVA - Hungry Horse News

It took seven shootout attempts, but Columbia Falls was eliminated from the 1A boys soccer state playoff semifinals with a 3-2 loss to Libby on Saturday (Oct. 20) in Libby.

The Wildcats scored the first goal of the match, then had to come from behind late in the second half to force the shootout.

Senior DJ Stoneman allowed the Cats to capitalize on a Logger foul, scoring on a penalty kick in the 17th minute. It was 1-0 at halftime.

Riley Hoyer tied the game for Libby with a goal in the 47th minute, then gave the Loggers the lead with a shot about 15 minutes later. CFHS would not give in, though, as Chase Jackson found the back of the net with 13 minutes left in regulation.

Neither team scored in either 10-minute overtime period.

"We played OK the first half," Cats coach Peter Browne said. "The second half, it was the same, old thing, just a different day."

By that, Browne meant that the Cats did not play well during the entire 80 minutes of the match.

"We kind of lost our shape in the middle," the coach said.

After five players on each team took a penalty shot, the shootout score was tied, 2-2. CFHS junior goalkeeper George Kimerly was up to the task, stopping three of the five Libby shots. Meanwhile, two of the Cats' shots sailed wide and another was stopped by Loggers keeper Tad Downey. Jackson and Stoneman had the Cats goals.

In the sixth shot for each team, Cody Bowman scored for the Cats and Scott Harlow found the net for Libby. After CFHS missed on its next shot, James Schnackenberger scored the game-winning goal.

"It's really a bad way to lose," Browne said. "We were on the other end of it last week."

The Cats beat Billings Central in a shootout in the first round.

"Georgie (Kimerly) did a great job. We couldn't find the back of the net on our PKs," Browne said.

"I thought we were a better skilled team," the coach said. "We did not have enough will to win."

Seniors Stoneman, Bowman, Josh McNeil and Casey Hebert played their final game for the Cats, who finished with a 7-6-1 overall record.

Whitefish, which blitzed Livingston 8-0, hosts Libby in the state title game Saturday (Oct. 27) at 2 p.m.