The local high school girls’ soccer teams faced some tough opponents over the weekend. Last fall, Laurel and Billings Central squared off against each other for the state championship with Billings Central taking the trophy. Both teams came to the Bitterroot over the weekend to play Corvallis and Hamilton, and both teams went back home with two more wins under their belts.
Corvallis lost a close game to Laurel, 4-3. Although the Blue Devils only took 10 shots on goal, they converted on three of them. Hailey Mason took a Corinne Sanderson assist into the net at 11 minutes. Laurel had already scored off a corner kick at two minutes and another goal at eight minutes. The Locomotives scored again at 37 minutes but Sanderson and Mason reversed roles and Sanderson hit the net at 38 minutes. Laurel scored their last goal seven minutes into the second half. Sanderson scored once more at 55 minutes off a Kenley Fields assist. Ashlynn Nixon had 17 saves for the Blue Devils. Each team took six corner kicks.
On Saturday, the Blue Devils took on Billings Central. Central got on the scoreboard first at 17 minutes but Sanderson came back four minutes later and scored an unassisted goal. That would be the only goal of the game for the Blue Devils. Billings Central went on to win, 5-1. They took 26 shots on goal while Corvallis only took three. Nixon had 11 saves.
The Hamilton girls defeated Bigfork, 3-1. Reilly Rostad scored first for the Broncs on an unassisted goal at 12 minutes. Olivia Zepeda took a Meggie Lewis assist eight minutes later for another goal. Four minutes into the second half, it was Zepeda who fed the ball to Elise Striebel for the Broncs’ final goal. Hamilton took 12 shots on goal and Maddy Martin had two saves.
Stevensville lost to Laurel 11-0. Keeper Jade Johnson had 25 saves. In their second game of the weekend, Billings Central won, 10-0. Sam Merwin had 18 saves.
Two-time defending state champion Corvallis boys didn’t exactly roll over the Locomotives from Laurel but they did come away with a 4-2 victory. Corvallis got on the board first when Emmett Semple took and assist from Brennan Williams at 12 minutes and booted the ball into the net. But Laurel came back four minutes later and tied the game. Fifteen minutes later, Semple and Cayden Ayers paired up to score another goal and take the lead. Bryce Molesh added to the Blue Devils’ lead with a goal at 43 minutes and Roberto Rizzo scored once more for Corvallis at 76 minutes. Laurel did score at the 54-minute mark. Corvallis took 24 shots on goal while Laurel only had eight shots. Justin Catanach had four saves for the Blue Devils.
The Blue Devils didn’t have an easy time with Billings Central, either. They defeated the Rams, 3-2, but it was a back and forth game until the end. Corvallis prevailed, 3-2. Semple put the Blue Devils on the board with an unassisted goal within a minute of the opening foray. Then the teams settled down and played tough defense. Billings Central’s Christian Zygmond scored at 34 minutes to tie the game. Semple and Ayers paired up again for another Corvallis goal at 54 minutes. But Billings Central came right back and worked in for another goal at 60 minutes. Semple and Ayers scored the final goal at 74 minutes to take the win for the Blue Devils. Corvallis had nine shots on goal and Billings Central took 10. Catanach had five saves for Corvallis and Billings Central had three saves.
Stevensville lost to both Billings Central and Laurel.