Player breaks leg in Vals' 3-0 loss

The Valkyries soccer team's numbers problem got even worse last week when they lost two girls to injuries, including sophomore Miranda Miller who broke her leg during the opening minutes of Bigfork's 0-3 loss to Columbia Falls Saturday afternoon at home.

The Kats were up 1-0 after McKenzie Reeve scored at the 9:30 mark. Junior Caitlin Charlebois tried to respond with a goal for Bigfork, but Columbia Falls' goalkeeper Niesha Thompson stopped the ball and a fight for possession followed. Miller, known for her aggressiveness in competition, was doing her part to try to get the ball past Thompson, but she was unable to do so before incurring multiple fractures to her shin. The Bigfork Ambulance took Miller to Kalispell Regional Medical Center where she had surgery, and is reportedly doing well after being released on Monday, according to BHS activities director Matt Porrovecchio.

"It's going to be hard without her," said Bigfork High School Head Girls Soccer Coach Hauna Trenerry. "She's a quick little player. She works really hard and fights for the ball. We're going to miss her."

After about a 45-minute delay, the game resumed with both teams showing little sign of being distracted or shook up by the injury.

"I'm proud of them because they went back out there and just played," Trenerry said. "It's hard to shake something off like that and keep playing."

Senior Lena Olson took over for Miller as a defender, a position she had not previously played, and other players were moved around as needed.

The day before the season opener against the Kats, freshman Emily Stephens found out she was sidelined for at least a few weeks to attempt to heal a lingering knee injury from last spring. With two girls injured and two others who were ineligible due to not having enough practices in, Trenerry had 10 of the remaining 12 girls play all 80 minutes of the game.

"That's a tough thing to ask," said Bigfork's assistant coach Charlie Appleby. "We were wearing down by the end of the second half. You could tell too because we only let them score one goal until the last 13 minutes of the game."

It was at the 67th minute that Reeve put in the second goal. Reeve, a senior, was a Bigfork athlete prior to transferring to Columbia Falls after her sophomore year. Just two minutes later, Reeve assisted teammate McKenzie Kizer in scoring the team's third goal.

"Columbia Falls has a good team," Trenerry said. "They pass and move off the ball really well. They have a lot of depth."

Thompson had eight saves in the Kats' shut out. Bigfork took 10 shots on their goal and Columbia Falls took 19. Freshman goalie Danielle Keeler had 11 saves for Bigfork.

"Defensively we played pretty well and we got the ball out," Trenerry said. "Those girls back there played really hard. Caitlin (Charlebois' and Quinci (Paine) worked really hard up top to get us some scoring opportunities."

Even though both teams are in the Northern A Conference, this game was counted as a non-conference matchup to fill the need of both teams lacking a game. They will still face each other two more times this season in conference play.

A lack of numbers and repeated adjustments to positions are the team's greatest obstacles right now.

"They're still trying to work on new positions," Trenerry said. "They are still figuring that out and learning to go to the ball."

The Vals expect to have one of their benched players eligible in time for this weekend's road trip to Laurel and Billings Central on Friday and Saturday, respectively.

"They're playing really hard," Trenerry said. "I'm really proud of all of them."

Appleby, who like Trenerry is a second year coach for the Vals, said he was also impressed with the girls' drive.

"They've got as much heart now as they did at the end of the season last year," he said. "We just don't have the depth."

Columbia Falls 1 2 - 3

Bigfork 0 0 - 0

Columbia Falls - McKenzie Reeve, 9:30; Reeve, 67:00; McKenzie Kizer (Reeve), 69:00

Shots on goal - Columbia Falls 19, Bigfork 10

Goalies - Columbia Falls 8 (Niesha Thompson), Bigfork 11 (Danielle Keeler)

Corner kicks - Columbia Falls 11, Bigfork 2

Fouls - Columbia Falls 8, Bigfork 9

Cards - None