FLATHEAD VALLEY — This Saturday will be the third time the Columbia Falls and Whitefish girls soccer programs will meet in the Class A state championship match.
This year's game will kick off at 11 a.m. Saturday at Smith Field in Whitefish.
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For the home Whitefish Bulldogs, they look forward to the opportunity of hosting their conference rivals in the final round in front of both communities.
“There's just a lot of overlapping Flathead Valley community aspect,” said Whitefish coach Kelly Odway. “So we're super proud of Columbia Falls for making it this far. We're super proud of our girls for making it this far. They had to win their semi, and we had to win our semi for the final to be here in the Flathead.”
After coming up short of the championship game the past two seasons, senior center back Delila Vine said this young Whitefish team hopes to win with a fast-paced offensive attack.
“We have so many goalscorers, we have so many important players on the team, and every single person contributes, which is so amazing,” Vine said. “Also this year, more than others, we've focused more on passing and connecting, which has, I think, really helped us make it this far.”
For the reigning state champion Columbia Falls Wildkats, head coach Thomas Clark said this matchup has a deeper personal meaning for the seniors who played in the last championship meeting between the two teams back in 2023.
“When they were freshmen, (they) played in the state championship against Whitefish down in Whitefish and lost that game to a team that was really experienced and an older group, and then now this year as seniors for this group, they get to go back to Whitefish, and the tables have turned here,” Clark said.
But with that mindset, and the desire to defend their state title, Wildkats forward Onnikka Lawrence said the players know exactly what it will take for them to repeat as champions.
“With our championship last year and carrying it on to this game, I think we just need to know that every person on the field is meant to be there,” Lawrence said. "We keep talking about it in practice and regrouping and kind of focusing on the mindset going into the game, so the pressure relieves itself a little bit."
