Soccer captains outline season goals
By Jen Clancey STAFF WRITER
After two games on the road, the Lone Peak High School Big Horns soccer played their first match at home against Whitefish High School. The Friday, Sept.4, afternoon game ended in two losses for the Big Horns, though both the girls and boys captains noted strong moments throughout the game.
First the girls battled the Bulldogs, ending with a 3-0 result. Give or take a few inches, the score may have been different for the Big Horns as freshmen Lola Morris and Braxtin Clark tested the Bulldogs keeper in the second half.
Junior goalkeeper Piper Dodd also collected stray balls and stopped breakways in the box. As the Big Horns entered the second half, they faced a 2-0 score and got to work. In total, Clark led the way in shots on goal with four, followed by Morris, senior captain Maeve McRae and senior Rowan Mitchell.
With Mitchell in defense surrounded by junior Ava Stoudt and sophomore Tatum Bedell, the Big Horns held off a quick Bulldog midfield in the second half until the last five minutes when Whitefish sophomore Atley Bingham scored the third and final goal.
After the game, senior captains McRae and Sophie Kendrick discussed the team’s preseason and what goals they’re working on this season.
“I think that we pushed really hard during pre-season, and now we’re showing it on the field,” Kendrick told EBS. McRae explained that the team is still fine-tuning a new formation this year that requires more communication and coordination in the midfield. Kendrick noted that the team started clicking more in the second half of the game.
“I think second half—we really were focusing on what we needed to do better … and we really started to implement it and work together,” she said. McRae agreed, saying the team felt more connected, allowing for more leading passes between center midfielders and wingers to draw the ball up the field. The captains hope the Big Horns play in the state playoffs and blend more as a team as the season continues.
“I’m super excited for the season,” McRae said. “I think we have a really, really good group of girls.”
Boys lose 1-0 to Whitefish
Senior captain Dudley Davis noted that this was the best the boys team has looked against Whitefish High School, despite a 1-0 loss. That goal by Whitefish came just four minutes before halftime when Whitefish scored on a penalty kick. The scoreboard would remain the same, even as free kicks and shots by Big Horn senior captains Davis and Liam Barker skimmed goal posts and reached the keeper’s hands.
The game proved to be physical; the referee awarded free kicks to Lone Peak, while also pulling yellow cards on two Big Horn players. In total, the boys had 11 shots on goal, and Davis led with three.
The Big Horns are adjusting to a change in roster after former Big Horn goalkeeper Oliver McGuire graduated. Junior Sam Miller protected the net this game, making eight saves against Whitefish.
“Shout out Sam,” Davis told EBS. “It’s been a big role to fill and he’s doing an amazing job.”
While games against teams outside their region don’t count toward official conference records, the Big Horns use the matches to learn what they are up against when they advance to tournaments. It’s also good to see the team’s chemistry.
“I feel like we’ve had a great attitude so far this season,” Barker said. “Everybody’s showing up and wanting to play … they all want to contribute to the team in one way or the other.”
Barker and Davis noted that the team plans to win the state tournament, or make it as far as they can. Fellow senior captain Keegan Luchini described the significance behind the goal.
“We got nine seniors—it’s a lot of our last time, so we’re trying to make something happen, and leave a legacy behind,” Luchini said. “We’ve played together for a while, so if we can just build better connections and get more teamwork going, then I think that’ll be really successful.”
In the near future, they hope to win their conference, which consists of competitors like Park High School and Billings Central.
Both of the girls and boys teams were able to make up for the loss to Whitefish the next day, defeating Big Fork High School 4-1 and 3-1, respectively. They enter with winning and tied preseason records as they face Park High School tonight, Sept. 8, away in Livingston.
