Lady Pirates end conference drought
Hey savvy news reader! Thanks for choosing local.
You are now reading
1 of 3 free articles.
POLSON — The Lady Pirates kept their playoffs hopes alive with a 5-1 win in Bigfork Thursday.
The win was the first conference win for the Lady Pirates since beating Columbia Falls 1-0 in October of 2008 and should give the crestfallen Lady Pirates, who were coming off a tough last-minute loss to Libby, an extra boost in the final weeks of the season.
“It was like the first time you ride a bike and keep falling down and falling down and then you start pedaling and realize that there’s no parent holding you up,” Polson coach Michael Hewston said. “We realized the we can play this game, we can play varsity and we can win.”
“It was more than just a single win. It was a huge boost for the girls. This group has a lot of momentum, for the first time for a very long time we’re looking for a playoff berth,” Hewston said.
If the Lady Pirates could beat the Lady Loggers in Libby Oct. 9 by more than a goal, they should secure a playoff spot.
Before the game against Bigfork, Hewston preached to his team about starting fast and Laura Rost listened. Less than two minutes into the game Rost gave the Lady Pirates a 1-0 lead with her second goal of the season. Sarah Devlin, who assisted on Rost’s goal, scored about 10 minutes later to give the Lady Pirates a 2-0 lead. Devlin, who assisted on three goals, has four goals this season.
Val striker Caitlin Charlebois narrowed the lead in the 23rd minute and the Lady Pirates took a 2-1 lead into the break.
“I made it a point that now we need some insurance,” Hewston said of his halftime speech.
After having a 2-1 lead at halftime over Libby and watching the Lady Loggers comeback to steal a 3-2 victory, the team didn’t need much convincing.
Rost scored her second goal of the game just four minutes into the half. The Lady Pirates weren’t finished. On what Hewston called “an absolute thing of beauty,” Sara Robinson scored her first high school goal on a cross from Devlin during the 66th minute. Devlin also assited on Rowley’s goal in the 79th minute.
Last season, Charlebois burned the Lady Pirates for five goals in two Bigfork wins, but with Katie Finley marking her step for step Thursday was just limited to one goal. It was only Finley’s third start as a Lady Pirate defender.
“She (Finley) gives us an extra defender because she’s able to mark their best player. She’s just a remarkable athlete that grows with each game,” Hewston said.
The Lady Pirates finished the week with a 3-1 loss in Columbia Falls Saturday. Madeline Hewston scored the Lady Pirates lone goal on a free kick from about 35 yards out during the 75th minute.
The Lady Pirates will host the Wildkats Thursday and Whitefish Saturday. Both are conference games.
Summary
Polson 5, Bigfork 1
Polson 2 3 – 5
Bigfork 1 0 – 1
Polson 0 1–1
Columbia Falls 2 1–3
