MISSOULA — Both ends of a Western AA soccer doubleheader between Butte High and Missoula Sentinel went the way of the Spartans Tuesday.
Sentinel came from behind for a 5-2 victory in the boys’ match. Then the Spartan girls completed the sweep with an 8-0 win.
After battling to a 1-all tie in the first half, Butte High’s boys took a 2-1 lead in the second half.
Jack Luoma scored off an assist from Riley Doyle for Butte High, and Boyd Dewitt found the net off an assist from Cameron Tobiness.
Then, the injuries and illness caught up with the shorthanded Bulldogs as Sentinel closed out the game with four unanswered goals. The Bulldogs hit the road with no varsity subs. They had to bring up four players from the junior varsity.
“We switched up our lineup and put Joe Schrader in the field,” Bulldog boys’ coach Cody Carpenter said. “Eddie Kazmierczak played well in the goal and had some nice saves. Reid Whitlock and Jesse Dean played tough in new positions on our defense that was led by Zane Fredlund and Bridger Schutte.”
Three freshmen — Aiden Lester, Wesley Kendall and Acen Martinich — saw time for the Bulldogs.
“Our three goals for this game were nearly met: Have fun, play hard and win for those who couldn’t make the trip,” Carpenter said.
Despite the loss, Butte High girls’ coach Steve Shahan say improvement in his team.
“We played much better than Saturday,” the coach said. “Kaylee LaPier played her butt off in goal. Our defenders improved throughout the game. The midfielders and forwards did a great job pressuring the ball and created a few scoring chances.”
Shahan credited the goalkeeper for the Spartans.
“Emma Quist played a beautiful free kick into the box, but the Sentinel keeper read it well,” he said. “Saturday was a small step backwards, but we got back on track and played much better today.”
Butte High’s varsity teams are done playing for the week. The junior varsity teams, though, will play host to Helena Capital on Thursday and Helena High on Saturday.
