Girls soccer ends season on high note

It was a tough season for the Bigfork High School girls soccer team, but they ended it with two solid games that resulted in a tie with Columbia Falls and a win over Polson.

"I have been really proud of these girls," said Hauna Trenerry, BHS head girls soccer coach. "We had a rough season with injuries, disciplinary actions, sickness and whatever else, but the girls continued to play their hearts out. They worked as a team and they supported each other. (Assistant coach) Charlie (Appleby) and I are so proud of them and we are really happy that we were able to end the season with a good game and a win."

The Valkyries were the first to score Saturday when they hosted Polson for their final game of the season. Caitlin Charlebois got the goal with a penalty kick at the 13:30 mark.

Marissa Binder responded with a goal for the Lady Pirates assisted by Madeline Hewston at the 26th minute.

"This was definitely not an easy game for us," Trenerry said. "Polson is the type of team that never gives up, and they play really hard."

Bigfork's Kenna Hauns took the lead back three minutes later with a goal assisted by Sara Keenan. Charlebois advanced the lead to 3-1 when she scored in the 35th minute assisted by Quinci Paine.

The goal was Charlebois' seventh of the season, which makes her the 13th highest scorer in the state for the regular season.

But then the Vals let down in the final minutes of the first half and allowed the Lady Pirates to tie the game back up. Reegan VonWildenradt scored two goals in the 40th minute for Polson, the first of which was a penalty kick.

"Our girls had a bit of a rough first half," Trenerry said. "We had a hard time finding our positions and at one point we were winning 3-1 and we got complacent and let up. Polson capitalized on that and scored two goals in stoppage time. We had to regroup at half time and the girls went back on the field playing a lot harder and we were able to get another goal."

Hauns again made the tie-breaking-goal for Bigfork, at the 55th minute assisted by Taylor McElroy.

From there, the Vals held off Polson to beat them for the second time this season.

"I was really proud of the girls for starting the second half strong and for putting pressure on Polson," Trenerry said. "All of our midfielders had to work for the entire 80 minutes and they did a good job of passing to feet and getting up and back for the entire game. Both Caitlin and Kenna did a fantastic job of getting the ball in the back of the net and the midfield did a great job of supporting the forwards."

The Lady Pirates took 13 shots on the goal and Bigfork took 12. Polson's goalkeeper Jacie Morrison had six saves and Danielle Morris had 10 for Bigfork.

The Vals had five corner kicks during the game and Polson had zero.

The game against Polson was the last for seniors Kaitlyn Shults and Morris' high school careers.

"Both of our seniors made a huge difference in the game," Trenerry said. "Danielle made some spectacular saves and Kaitlyn did a great job of playing balls to feet and controlling the midfield."

Senior Lena Olson, who played for the Vals until having scoliosis surgery last month, sat on the sideline with her teammates for the senior day game.

"Lena was able to come and watch the game, which really helped to bring the girls spirits up and her support was really awesome," Trenerry said.

On Oct. 6, Bigfork faced Columbia Falls for the third time this season and, after losing the first two, showed improvement with a 1-1 tie.

The Wildkats were the first to score with a goal at the 14th minute by Danielle Deluenthal assisted by McKenzie Reeve.

"The girls played for the remainder of the game without getting scored on, which is pretty awesome," Trenerry said. "The defense had a great game and really shut down the Columbia Falls offense. Columbia Falls put pressure on for the entire game and they really challenged us, but we held them off."

The Vals tied the game up at the 52nd minute.

"The girls had a really great game and worked well as a team," Trenerry said. "Danielle Morris did a good job of cutting down on their through balls by coming out of the box and she took away a lot of their dangerous options. The offense continued to put pressure on the Columbia Falls defense and midfield and eventually we were able to score."

Charlebois took an indirect kick that fell just inside the box, but Columbia Falls' goalkeeper Niesha Thompson made a quick save. However, Hauns was able to capitalize on Thompson's save and put the ball in the back of the net.

"She was in the right place at the right time and she put the ball in the back of the net. It was awesome," Trenerry said.

Neither team was able to score after that point, which made it the first tie of the season for both teams.

"Kaitlyn Shults did a really good job of controlling the midfield and she spread the field out by using the wings," Trenerry said. "It was a difficult game for me because Columbia Falls had to win in order to advance. So my girls took away my dad's (Kats Head Coach Greg Trenerry) chances to move on to state. I felt really bad about it, but my girls played so hard and they really wanted to win that game. Columbia Falls kept the pressure up for the entire game and really made us work. They are a really good team and they have a lot of depth."

Columbia Falls took 16 shots on the goal, while Bigfork took just three. Morris had 12 saves for the Vals and Thompson had two for the Kats.

Columbia Falls had three corner kicks and Bigfork had one.