Girls second at state

There were no surprises in this one. For the 43rd consecutive match, Billings Central did exactly what they do — win. The two-time defending Class A girls soccer champs made it three titles in a row Saturday when they knocked off an outmatched Whitefish team 4-1 at Rocky Mountain College in Billings. The nine seniors on the Rams squad haven’t lost a match since 2007 when they were freshmen. They finished their careers 52-2-3 overall.

“Billings is a great team,” Whitefish coach Erin Morrison said. “They broke us down with one touches, they had composure and they knew how to win.”

The home field advantage played into Billings’ hands before the match even started. A large crowd filled the sidelines well before the first whistle and their student section was loud and blowing vuvuzela noisemakers.

“It’s like going into the lions den down there,” Morrison said. “We were taken back in the first half and didn’t really give them a challenge until the second half.”

Central’s Jackie Elliott connected on a penalty kick in the 11th minute to give the Rams momentum.

“It was unfortunate their first goal came on a PK,” Morrison said about the controversial call. “They go up 1-0, they settle down and get the confidence. Instead of getting lightning bolts in our eye, we let down a little.”

Jaelene Zygmond added another score in the 20th minute to open a two-goal halftime lead. The Rams put the match out of reach in the second half after Taylor O’Toole and Kayla Lucas both found the net.

Whitefish’s Natalie Gayner tallied the Bulldog’s lone goal in the 63rd minute off a pass from Maggie Frankino.

“We ended on a great note,” Morrison said of Gayner’s goal. “I’m really proud of these girls and I wouldn’t trade them for anything. We had a great season.”

The coach commended her seniors and noted their leadership on the pitch.

“I’m really going to miss all the seniors,” she said. “They we’re all great leaders, especially Jordan Carper. Presley Pritchard had a great year, too, and I’m definitely going to miss my keepers Madison Cross and Callie Marsh. Having those seniors’ experience was huge.”

“They all left their hearts on the field. I’m so proud of them.”

Some of the season’s high-notes were the shutout over Columbia Falls, beating the Loggers at Libby and the 1-0 win over top-rated Hamilton, Morrison said.

“All the goals we scored this year were great, too,” she said. “We had 64 goals this season and that’s amazing.”

As for next year, eight players on the current roster will return as seniors, including three captains. Morrison likes the state of the girls soccer program and says the sky is the limit if they can hurdle some mental humps.

“It’s all mental,” Morrison said. “We have the skills and we’re just as fit and as good as Billings. It’s that mental edge that wins or loses games. We’ve got to have the confidence. We’ere there, we just have to rise above that mental aspect.”

“I’m going to encourage them to do track and play other sports. As long as they are playing something, it helps the school and it makes them better players.”

The Lady ‘Dogs finished the season 12-3 overall and 7-1 in the conference. They outscored their opponents 64-17.