Valkyries working hard despite record

The Valkyries soccer team is still without a win this season, but last week they held both of their opponents scoreless until the end of the game, losing to Columbia Falls 1-0 on the road Sept. 15 and Libby 2-0 at home Thursday.

"As a team, the girls did really well this week. It was a super tough week and 90 percent of my girls played every minute of every game, which was tough, but they did it and did a great job," said Bigfork High School Head Girls Soccer Coach Hauna Trenerry. "I would like to credit my defense for both games. They rock. Quinci Paine, McKinze Shults, Danielle Keeler and Sara Keenan, and of course our goalie, Danielle Morris, who has done an amazing job as goalie for us. She stepped in and she is like a little wall back there. The defense has really been playing great together and they did a great job this week."

In Thursday's game Bigfork allowed Libby to score their first goal in the 55th minute when Jaime Gilden scored with an assist by Anna Valentine. The Vals went back to holding off the Lady Loggers until the 75th minute when Ashley VanHoose scored assisted by Valentine.

"They played really hard, but they got down in the second half after a quick corner kick and then another goal about 20 minutes later," Trenerry said. "It's hard to come back from that, but I don't think that my girls ever gave up and they played really hard for the entire 80 minutes.

Bigfork took five shots on the goal and Libby took twice as many. Both goalies, Audra Poppen of Libby and Danielle Morris of Bigfork, had four saves.

"Libby has a really good team and they are quick," Trenerry said. "They have a few players that have some amazing skills that really contribute to the success of the team. We had a few opportunities, but we just couldn't quite finish. I think that the girls are getting better every game and they can compete with any team in the state, but in order to win, we have to score. So we need to work on our offense, but they are getting there and they are doing a good job."

The Val's already short roster got even smaller after Thursday's game as it was the last one of the season for Lena Olson, who had scoliosis surgery this week. This added an additional element to Bigfork's game against Libby.

"I think she played the best game I have ever seen her play in since I have been the coach, which is two years," Trenerry said. "She did an amazing job at outside mid and she is going to be missed (on the field). She is an amazing person and the team is going to miss her."

In the game Sept. 16 against the Wildkats the Vals went out strong and kept their opponents from scoring during the first half.

"All in all, my girls did a great job of holding them off," Trenerry said. "It felt really awesome to be tied at half. I suppose it would have been better to be winning, but after the 3-0 loss the first time we played this year, the girls had really stepped it up and were playing hard."

Bigfork's strong defense kept the game scoreless until the 62nd minute when Breanna Hooper scored the game's only goal.

"The girls got a little tired and stopped stepping to the ball for a few minutes during the 60th to 70th minute range of the game and Columbia Falls capitalized on that and scored," Trenerry said.

Columbia Falls took 19 shots on the goal and Bigfork took seven. Morris had 13 saves for the Vals and Niesha Thompson had five for the Kats in their shutout.

"Columbia Falls is a really tough team and I am proud of how the girls played," Trenerry said. "I really think they stepped it up and played really well. A 1-0 loss is really anyone's game. We just couldn't find the back of the net, but I couldn't have asked them to play any harder. They did a great job. The defense has been working on the kinks and they really played great in this game. We also moved a few players around which helped. My dad (Columbia Falls' Head Girls Soccer coach Greg Trenerry) also complimented my girls on how tough they play and that we are a strong team."

The Vals travel to Polson today, Sept. 24 and Whitefish on Tuesday, Sept. 29 as they attempt to get their first win of the season.

"I am really proud of the girls even if we have been losing," Trenerry said. "The games have been close and they have been doing a great job. It's tough losing, but they are in every game, and they are getting better each week"