The Hamilton boys soccer team took on Belgrade on Friday on the pitch and nearly pulled off an upset of the state champions. Although Belgrade won, 3-2, Hamilton may have won the moral victory. Down by two goals with only nine minutes remaining in the match, the ball was kicked towards Belgrade’s goal. Their keeper kept track of the ball as it lay on the line but didn’t pick it up. Hamilton’s striker, Clay Kellar, a sophomore, moved on the ball, closing the gap from 10 feet to five feet and still the keeper didn’t pick up the ball. He was bent over the ball but Keller got a foot on the ball and knocked the ball the six inches it needed to go for the goal, right between the keeper’s legs.
“It was the greatest high school soccer goal I’ve seen in 14 years of coaching,” said Randy Lint, Hamilton’s coach. “He (Kellar) was like a cobra.”
Neither team scored in the first half of the match but seven minutes into the second half, Kanon Tebo of Belgrade hit the net. Just one minute later, Hamilton’s Austin Drake, a freshman, scored off an Aryton Duncan assist. Belgrade scored again at 54 minutes to take the lead. When Kellar scored at 71 minutes, that tied the match. However, Belgrade’s Schlauch scored one final time for the win.
Hamilton took five shots on goal while Belgrade had 13 shots. Hamilton’s keeper, Daniel Schlender, had four saves.
On Saturday, the Broncs took on Livingston. Hamilton got on the scoreboard first when Will Lowden took a quick run to the goal and knocked one in at one minute. Hamilton scored twice in the second half. Duncan scored at 42 minutes. At 69 minutes, Duncan passed to Caelen DeVall who scored the final point. Hamilton won, 3-0. Hamilton had 14 shots on goal while Livingston had eight with four saves. Schlender had five saves for Hamilton.
The Corvallis boys lost to Livingston on Friday, 8-0. Ryan Wiggins and Nick Spinetta combined for 12 saves for the Blue Devils. Corvallis lost to Belgrade, 8-0, on Saturday.
The Hamilton girls played Belgrade to a 2-2 tie on Friday. Unlike the Hamilton boys who only have three seniors, the Hamilton girls’ team is experienced and has seven seniors. Tessa Della Silva scored first for Hamilton at 44 minutes off a Meggie Lewis assist to tie the game. Belgrade came back to score again two minutes later and take the lead. At 50 minutes, Rylee Wiediger took another Lewis assist and scored, tying the game.
Belgrade took 20 shots on goal while Hamilton had 18 shots. Hamilton’s keeper, Maddy Martin had 15 saves.
The Hamilton girls defeated Livingston, 4-0, on Saturday. Wiediger scored at two minutes on a Tessa Della Silva assist. No one scored again until the 60 minute mark when Della Silva hit Mallory McGill for the goal. Nine minutes later, Lewis hit Ashlee Searle who knocked in the ball. The final Hamilton goal was from Olivia Zepeda and McGill at 76 minutes. Hamilton took 19 shots on goal while Livingston took 18 and had 11 saves. Martin had nine saves for Hamilton.
Corvallis lost to Livingston, 8-0. Ashlyn Nixon had four saves for Corvallis. The Blue Devils also lost to Belgrade, 8-0. Nixon had 19 saves.
The Stevensville boys played Libby to a 0-0 tie. The Stevensville girls defeated Libby 4-1.