Vikings soccer team ties Wildcats on the road

It was a tough week for the Vikings soccer team as the boys attempted to overcome missing players while taking on two strong opponents, but they still managed to pick up a 1-1 tie in Columbia Falls and score a couple of goals in a home game with Libby that they ultimately lost 6-2.

“We were faced with additional adversity in that in addition to our various minor injuries, additional players were unavailable to us so it left us rather thin for the weekend,” said Bigfork head boys soccer coach Keith Koslosky. “The boys in the group had a decision to make, and they made a really mature decision and they chose to step up. I believe they really came together as a team this weekend.”

Both teams were held scoreless during the first half of Friday’s game in Columbia Falls. It wasn’t until the 50th minute that Bigfork sophomore Robert Coyle put the ball between the goal posts off of an assist by junior Austin Gordon to give the Vikes a 1-0 lead.

“A week ago that probably wouldn’t have happened because they wouldn’t have had that trust,” Koslosky said of his team coming together. “Robert stepped into a position after 24 hours’ notice that he had only played in one other time, and that was when we played Columbia Falls previously, and he played admirably.”

However, the Vikes let their lead slip in the 62nd minute when the Wildcats were awarded a penalty kick because of a hand ball mistake made by Bigfork. Dylan Corbett took the free shot for his team and tied the game at one apiece, where it stayed until the clock ran out.

“They played well as a team. Overall it was a good effort,” Koslosky said. “We minimized our mistakes. However, the one mistake we made cost us dearly.”

While Koslosky said he was impressed with goalkeeper Dillon Hilling’s work in the net, he was equally happy with his defense that kept Hilling from having to take too much pressure.

“Austin Bunyea not only managed the back line, but he really coordinated the entire defensive effort, which shows up in the stats as four saves for Dillon without him really even being challenged the entire match,” he said. “The play of the back line was absolutely fabulous. They were all over the field and covering really well. At times it was hard to know which of the players were in which positions, and that is great because that means that they were covering for each other really well. Steven Lyon, Caleb Mathwig and Bunyea were wonderful in the back.”

With players missing due to medical reasons, being out of town and other various matters, Koslosky had to do some reconfiguring.

“We moved some players around, and we changed the formation slightly,” he said. “Those players — Kegan Driver, Steven Lyon and Kyle Thomson — did just fine. Their performance did not suffer with the change.”

Vs. Libby

The next day the Vikes hosted the Libby Loggers — a quick team that took advantage of Bigfork’s tired legs after playing the night before.

The Loggers scored in the 5th, 6th, 15th and 20th minutes before the Vikings were able to make a mark on their side of the scoreboard.

In the 25th minute a scramble ensued in front of Libby’s goal as Bigfork attempted to find the back of the net. Finally, Coyle got the job done for the Vikes for the second day in a row.

“He’s been a pleasant surprise,” Koslosky said. “The chants of ‘Robert’ from the fan side of the field were music to the ear.”

The half closed with Libby leading 4-1. The Loggers put in two more goals in the second half — in the 46th and 49th minutes, Bunyea added one more goal to Bigfork’s total in 67th minute and neither team scored again after that.

“We seemed to settle down in the second half and played pretty well,” Koslosky said. “There are some things we still need to work on. We met yesterday (Monday) and discussed some of those things, and I think that we’re prepared to work on it.”

The Vikes’ game schedule is letting up a bit. This week their only game is a 5 p.m. game in Polson.