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Cross Valley Clash in Class A Soccer Championship

Whitefish, Columbia Falls set to battle in boys match, Whitefish girls make appearance

By Micah Drew
Gabe Menicke of the Whitefish Bulldogs, right, and Rusty Heger race for the ball in a Class A semifinal match at Smith Fields in Whitefish on Oct. 26, 2019. The Bulldogs beat Billings Central 11-0. Hunter D’Antuono | Flathead Beacon

The Flathead Valley hosted all four Class A semifinal soccer matches over the weekend.

Whitefish advanced to the state final for the fourth straight year after a 6-0 victory over Corvallis. Collin Lyman scored two goals, while James Thompson, Aaron Dicks, Gabe Menicke and Marvin Kimera also scored for the Bulldogs. Whitefish is 41-0-2 over the past three years, including 12-0-1 this fall. Several players on the team have never lost a match while wearing a Bulldogs uniform.

The Bulldogs will face off against Columbia Falls (11-1-1) on Halloween. The Wildcats advanced to the state title match for the first time in 15 years after beating Billings Central 2-1. Freshman Kai Golan made the game-winning goal with nine minutes remaining.

Columbia Falls will make the seven-mile trek to Whitefish for the championship match, seeking to upset the two-time defending champions. The teams played twice this year, once to a draw and once with Whitefish victorious.

In the girls tournament, defending state champion Laurel (9-0-1) advanced to the final with a 5-1 win over Columbia falls (10-3-0). Maddie Robison gave the Wildkats an early 1-0 lead, but Columbia Falls was unable to hold off the Locomotives.

Whitefish (11-0-1) advances to the state championship match for the first time since 2013 as the Bulldogs beat Billings Central 1-0 on a goal by Adrienne Healy. Billings Central (7-2-1) had appeared in five consecutive state final matches. Whitefish will travel to Laurel for the Saturday game.

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