Corvallis boys soccer team advances

The post season in high school soccer began on the pitch in Hamilton and Corvallis on Saturday. The Hamilton girls, as the No. 1 seed from the south, took on Polson, the No. 2 seed from the north. The defending state champion Corvallis Blue Devils, also a No. 1 seed, were hosts to the Polson boys, the No. 2 seed from the north. At stake, the Class A semi finals.
Although the Polson Pirates played a tough defense, they could not contain the duo of Emmett Semple and Cayden Ayers. These two have been the backbone of the Blue Devils all year and it was no different on Saturday. Ayers found Semple open at eight minutes into the game and shot him a cross. Semple took the pass and headed it into the net. At 32 minutes, the ball careened off two Polson players into the Corvallis net for another Blue Devil goal. The final goal came at 60 minutes when the Semple/Ayers team paired up to hit the net again and seal the victory. The Pirates took seven shots on goal and Corvallis took eight shots in the defensive battle. Polson’s keeper, Russell Smith, had five saves. Justin Catanach of Corvallis made seven saves. Final score, Corvallis 3, Polson 0.
Corvallis will now host Billings Central in semi final action on Saturday, October 22. That game will begin at 3:30 p.m. Billings Central defeated Whitefish, 7-0. The Rams have a record of 11-2-0 while Corvallis’ record is 13-0-0.
The Hamilton girls had a difficult time stopping the Polson passing as the game progressed, with the Polson team opening strong and keeping pressure on the Broncs. Polson booted in three goals in the first half and went on to win, 4-2. Ashlee Howell of Polson scored at six minutes. Three minutes later, Reilly Rostad fed Tessa DellaSilva the ball for a Hamilton goal. Polson’s Tiara Dufford and Hanna Kasmitz scored at 32 and 34 minutes to give the Pirates a comfortable edge. Olivia Schmidt of Hamilton took an Ashlee Searle pass and scored at 75 minutes. Polson took 27 shots on goal while Hamilton took 11. Polson’s keeper, Jenna Evertz, had six saves. Maddy Martin had seven saves. Hamilton finished their season with a record of 10-2-1.