Glacier Girls, Flathead Boys Take First Crosstown Matches

The Wolfpack put a pair of free kicks in the back of the net and Glacier salvaged a crosstown split when the girls upended Flathead 3-2 at Legends Stadium on Sept. 5.

Kenzie Williams got the Wolfpack on the board in the second half with a free kick to tie the match at one, and Emily Cleveland’s free kick later in the half was the eventual match-winner. Those tallies sandwiched a Micah Hicketheir goal and helped Glacier (1-0-1) erase a 1-0 halftime deficit and beat their Kalispell rival for the first time since 2017.

Ashlynn Whiteman scored both Flathead (1-1-0) goals, each assisted by Skyleigh Thompson. The Bravettes swept both crosstown matches in 2018 en route their first Class AA state tournament berth in four seasons.

In the boys match, Flathead scored the last four goals to come from behind and topple the Wolfpack 5-2. It was the third consecutive crosstown win for the Braves, and moved second-year coach Zach Brenneman to 3-0 all-time against Glacier. The Braves battered Butte 7-0 in their first match of the season and are off to a 2-0-0 start for the second year in a row.

“I feel like we are starting this year where we ended last year, and I felt like we ended last year in a pretty good spot,” Brenneman said. “We are picking up where we left off as far as team mentality and talent-wise.”

After Flathead’s A.J. Apple scored in the 20th minute, the Wolfpack (0-1-1) tallied the next two, from Zane Elliott in the 22nd minute and Sebastiano Pipolo on a penalty kick in the 43rd. From there, it was all Flathead. Fin Nadeau knotted things at two in the 47th minute, Eric Gardner gave the Braves the lead in the 53rd, and Jalen Hawes (77th) and Gardner (78th) provided the final margin.

Glacier is right back in action today in Butte, with the girls at 3 p.m. and the boys at 5 p.m. Flathead returns to the pitch Saturday, hosting Missoula Hellgate for a doubleheader beginning with the boys at 10 a.m.