‘Til the Final Minute

Fatigue set in on both sides and Saturday’s State AA boys soccer championship seemed headed, mercifully, for a shootout.

Then something magical happened. Missoula Hellgate senior Marcus Anderson, a player who for four years epitomized what it meant to be unselfish on the pitch, always hustling back on defense and opting for assists over goals, took matters into his own hands.

In the final minute of his high school career, he hit the shot of his young life. It came from the top left corner of the 18-yard box with under a minute left in the second overtime, giving the Knights a 1-0 win over Kalispell Glacier and their third straight state title at Fort Missoula Park.

The Hellgate student body stormed the field, tears flowed and coach Jay Anderson was congratulated with an impromptu Gatorade bucket blast of icy water by ecstatic players.

“We did everything we could to give ourselves an opportunity to win and it just came down to a heroic effort there at the end,” Glacier coach Ryan Billiet said. “We would have loved to play another 40 against them and see, but I don’t know if we would have been able to walk.”

Marcus Anderson’s shot seemed to catch Glacier’s stellar defense off guard. Not so much the idea of Anderson shooting, but the manner in which he quickly dropped down to a knee while booting the ball with his right foot around a defender and keeper John Pyron into the far right corner.

“That’s why we put him on the left today, so he could cut it with his right (foot),” said coach Anderson, Marcus’ father. “That particular play though, it was a bobble play and it came out to him and he took his opportunity.

“It was amazing. Glacier was a really good team today and it could have gone either way. Their players are just as deserving as we are. It just landed in our lap and Marcus was able to get the goal at the very end.”

Marcus, like his dad, is not one for hyperbole. He seems to take everything in stride on the pitch, embracing every aspect of a sport he’s been in love with from the time he attended Hellgate games as a child.

“Honestly, I just didn’t want to go to (penalty kicks),” he said of his game-defining goal. “I didn’t want to take that chance. All I knew was I had to go for gold. Hit it to a teammate or put the ball in the back of the net.

“To me it’s just a great feeling. I love to play the game. Soccer is pretty much my life at this point. It’s an amazing feeling to do it with my buddies.”

Hellgate (16-0-2) played Glacier (14-2-2) twice in October and for close to 200 minutes, neither team was able to score in those games. That included a full game with overtime in early October and Saturday’s contest, which remained scoreless for roughly 99 minutes.

For most of the afternoon Saturday, the heroes were the goalkeepers and scrappy defenders. Pyron made three clutch saves in the first half and survived a rocky start to the second half when Hellgate dominated for a 10-minute span.

Hellgate keeper Loren Deskins was solid throughout regulation and heroic in overtime, with several key saves. The one most fans will likely remember came midway through the first overtime when Glacier was denied on a point-blank, one-on-one opportunity in the box that resulted in a diving save by Deskins.

“We knew it was going to be a battle,” said coach Anderson, who has guided the Knights to six state titles in the last seven years. “Their goal keeper is amazing. Their back line, there’s a reason they didn’t let in very many goals this year.

“I feel bad for Glacier because they’re a really good squad but obviously I’m very happy for us.”

Marcus Anderson played on three state champion teams in his prep career, each one of them unique. For him, the 2021 Knights had a fiery approach that served them well.

“This group kind of has a temper,” he said. “It kind of sounds bad to say it but it’s great to play with them. They raise that intensity and we start yelling at each other, but of course in a good way. We push each other to the next level.”

Hellgate extended its string of seasons without a loss to three. There were two ties this season, but those only served to motivate the team.

In the end, Billiet was able to keep Saturday in perspective. Though the exact number of fans was not easy to pin down, it was easily one of the largest high school soccer crowds in Missoula history. 

“What an atmosphere for the seniors, everybody involved,” Billiet said. “What a great last memory for them. Obviously we were hoping for another number on the trophy, but certainly this will be ingrained in their memories for a lifetime.”