Girls soccer earns No. 3 seed

The Whitefish girls soccer team enters the Class A state playoffs as the No. 3 seed after a heart-wrenching loss at rival Columbia Falls on Saturday.

The Lady Dogs (5-5-2) squandered a 2-1 advantage late in the second half to lose 2-3 in the hard-fought Northwest A match.

Senior Grace Kurtz tallied twice for Whitefish and the Dogs defense took the Wildkats out of their game for much of the match.

But in the final minutes, a loose ball in front of the goal found its way to the net and Columbia Falls ran off the field as conference champs for the second consecutive season.

“We played really well, but let one slip in at the last minute,” Whitefish coach Wendy Farrens said. “One of the things we’ve tried to do this season is to fail forward. So we’re moving forward and learning from this experience.”

The loss dropped Whitefish to third in the conference. They will travel to No. 1 seed Hamilton on Saturday for a first-round playoff match. Hamilton topped Whitefish 3-1 in the first game of the season.

“We’ve improved so much as a team since then,” Farrens said. “I like where we stand.”

Farrens says the Class A title is up for grabs with no dominate team in the state. Whitefish could make a surprise run.

“We’re a competitive team,” she said. “I like to think we rise to the occasion in the playoffs.”

Columbia Falls is the No. 1 seed and will face Stevensville. Polson is a No. 2 seed and plays the winner of a play-in game between Laurel and Belgrade. The six-time defending state champs from Billings Central play Corvallis in the first round.

Whitefish 1 1 – 2

C. Falls 1 2 – 3

CF – Ellie Johnson (Ashley Miller), 27:00

W – Grace Kurtz (unassisted), 18:00

W – Kurtz (unassisted), 42:00

CF – Johnson (unassisted), 61:00

CF – Katie Price (Johnson), 73:00

Shots on goal – Whitefish 6, C. Falls 11. Saves – Whitefish 7 (Kess Nelson), C. Falls 3 (Alyson Gimbel). Corner kicks – Whitefish 1, C. Falls 2. Total fouls – Whitefish 6, C. Falls 9. Cards – C. Falls (yellow).