Girls soccer falls one short of championship

by Jack Long

The Flathead Bravettes soccer team had only allowed two goals throughout the entire season, but Helena Capital was able to more than double that number, en-route to a 5-0 victory in the state championship game Nov. 1 in Butte.

Capital scored early after a Bravette attempt to clear the ball fell back into Capital’s possession and then a shot deflected off a Flathead player and made it past senior goalie Jewel McLeod.

“The ball went off a defender,”  said McLeod. “I was set up for a different shot.” 

One goal was all the Capital squad would need, but they used the wind to their advantage in the second half to knock in three more goals. “The wind was a big factor,” said McLeod. “We had a hard time getting the ball off our side.”

The Bravettes suffered injuries to junior Monica Rogina early on in the game, and also lost sophomore Katy DeJana and junior Molly Corbett to injuries later in the game.  

Helena Capital’s appearance in the state title game was the team’s fourth consecutive and the win gave them back-to-back state championships. The Bruins’ last loss was in the 1995 state championship. Capital finished the season with a perfect 14-0 mark.

The Bravettes were able to advance to the state championship game with a victory over Bozeman in the semifinal, 2-0. DeJana and sophomore Derrin Morton contributed goals for the Bravettes. Flathead’s play was also boosted by a strong defensive effort from McLeod.

Flathead ended its regular season with a 13-0 record, 13-1 overall.

“Overall we did really well,” said Corbett. “We couldn’t have done any better.”