Boys battle to tie in ‘slug fest,’ girls fall 3-0
By Jack Reaney ASSOCIATE EDITOR
On Saturday, Sept. 7, the Lone Peak High School boys and girls soccer teams played their first home game, hosting Bigfork High School. Although neither team won, players and coaches weren’t disappointed with their level of play.
The boys played first, in a back-and-forth game that saw the Vikings take the lead four times—only to relinquish their lead after every goal. The game ended in a 4-4 tie, thanks to a clutch strike by Big Horn senior Finn McRae with six minutes remaining.
Lone Peak head coach Tony Coppola said it would have been good to walk away with a win, but a tie was a good enough outcome considering his team trailed four times. Their ability to stay in the game showed Coppola a lot of grit.
“It was a slug fest, I mean, let’s be honest,” Coppola said. “Bigfork had a really solid team, they dominated the middle, and I think a couple of their goals came on our end, defensive lapses… But we persevered, right, that’s one of our tenets this year is perseverance.”
Senior Arlo Hurlbut scored a goal in the first half after chasing down a through-ball assist from sophomore Miles Romney. Hurlbut said the back-and-forth game was awesome and fun to be a part of, but the team needs to work on finishing and applying defensive pressure at the top of the box.
“We started off pretty flat, and we couldn’t convert a lot of our chances, but if we could finish the ball it would be a different story,” Hurlbut said.
Coppola said the team had some “happy feet” in the offensive zone, and needs to work on their composure, making smart decisions on passes and shots.
McRae scored twice in the second half, and Coppola said it’s because he stayed composed and kept his shots on target.
“I’m kind of known for just ripping it over,” McRae said after the game.
McRae faced a direct kick opportunity from about 19 yards out in the second half. He focused on the bottom corner and put it there.
“That free kick was beautiful,” Coppola said.
A few minutes later, after the Vikings took a 4-3 lead, McRae capitalized on a loose ball after a corner kick. With remarkable force, he ripped a shot through traffic and found the net again.
“I was kind of in stride, and I was like, ‘don’t put it over the crossbar,’ and I just hit it as hard as I could,” McRae said. He added that it felt very motivating to help keep his team in the game with his pair of second-half goals.
McRae would have preferred to win, but a non-conference tie was a good opportunity to practice as a team—the outcome against Bigfork does not affect Lone Peak’s position in the standings.
Coppola said McRae, sophomore Keegan Luchini—who scored the team’s first goal—and senior captain Cam Pecunies looked solid in the midfield. The team will need to fill Miles Romney’s spot as he leaves to study abroad, but young players are doing a good job stepping into starting roles.
“Team-wide: first touch, composure, we gotta work on those… We’re playing good soccer, we’re moving the ball, and when we want to play well, we can do that,” Coppola said.
The Big Horns started their season on the road, tying in another non-conference game at Thompson Falls High School, and beating Park High School, 2-1. Coppola said they’ll now turn their attention to a tough game against a “pretty dialed” program in Billings Central Catholic High School, a 2023 state finalist.
“I’m sure it’s gonna be a pretty physical game, it will be definitely a tough game,” he said. “We just gotta come ready to play.”
Girls optimistic despite loss
Playing without a few key players on Saturday, the girls team was able to hang with Bigfork, holding them scoreless until the Vikings scored in the final seconds of the first half, and allowing two more goals in the second half.
The Big Horns are young, with 15 of 20 players being freshmen and sophomores, and no seniors on the roster.
Junior Maddie Wilcynski told EBS that they’ve already made huge strides since their first game, a 10-0 win against Thompson Falls High School.
“I’m super proud of all of our younger girls,” Wilcynski said. “From first day of preseason, all of them came in shape, and then it was just all about tactical [work]… The freshmen have done just great, being more than half of our team, just stepping up.”
She commended three freshmen in particular: Olive Wolfe, Zoe Luchini and Marley Chapin, for their play on Saturday.
“Olive Wolfe played a hell of a game. Chasing every single ball up top, never giving up, she emptied her tank out today,” Wilcynski said. She added that Luchini stepped up to midfield with Wilcynski and played well, and Chapin made countless saves.
“Those three had a really spectacular game, but I gotta give credit to all of them,” Wilcynski said.
Chapin, the team’s goalkeeper, played up from eighth grade last year. Now a freshman, her athleticism continues to improve and she made a few leaping saves on Saturday.
Although the Vikings scored three goals, Chapin said they took some really strong shots. The Vikings’ pressure exposed some room for improvement in Big Horns’ defense, but Chapin was pleased with her team’s effort.
“We played so well. I know they won, but it was a great game. We played so hard,” Chapin said. “… And I feel like our team held our own pretty well, considering we didn’t have all our players.”
The Big Horns played without junior captain Hana Mittelstaedt, junior Harper Morris, freshman Lola Morris, and freshman Maeve McRae. They’ll add some firepower when those players return.
Wilcynski said the team needs to work on connecting a few more passes and staying patient on offense. But she praised the team’s effort in their first home game.
“Overall, it was great. I think we have a ton of potential for this year,” Wilcynski said.
The girls will travel to Billings Central on Thursday evening.
