MISSOULA — The third time was the charm for the Missoula Sentinel girls soccer team.
The Spartans, who had lost in their other two state championship match appearances, claimed the first Class AA state title in program history Saturday with a 1-0 win over Gallatin. Both teams entered the match with unbeaten records.
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It was an uptempo first half with Sentinel playing the role of aggressor, but Gallatin goalkeeper Auna Litzen came up with a couple big saves to keep the Spartans off the board. On the other end, Sentinel keeper Joslyn Calahan was rarely threatened but stepped up when needed.
The match was scoreless at half.
But the Spartans broke through in the 64th minute. Off a throw-in from near the corner, Eliza Ascher received the ball, crossed it right in front of the goal and Braylee Smith finished it off to put Sentinel up 1-0.
Over the final 15 minutes, the Raptors were unable to capitalize off multiple set pieces, and Marin Cooper saw a deep shot go off the crossbar. In the end, Calahan and the Spartans preserved the clean sheet to win the championship in front of their home fans.
Sentinel finishes the 2026 season with a 15-0-2 record, while Gallatin closes the campaign 13-1-3. The Raptors have finished as the Class AA state runners-up three consecutive seasons.
