No. 1 seeds collide in finals
Karissa DeMarco goes for the ball in a match against Belgrade.
Whitefish runs into the freight train of Billings Central on Saturday when the two No. 1 seeded teams collide in the Class A state girls soccer final.
The Rams have tallied 43 consecutive wins going into the match and are the two-time defending state champs.
Central barely kept their streak alive in last weekend’s semifinal match with Hamilton. The Rams escaped with a 1-0 win when senior midfielder Jaelene Zygmond found the net in the 59th minute. The win pushed their record to 14-0.
The two teams have some recent history, with Billings holding the upper hand. Saturday’s final will be a rerun of the 2008 finals, when Central topped the Lady ‘Dogs 4-1.
The Rams knocked Whitefish from the playoffs last season in the second round, and they beat the ‘Dogs earlier this year 2-1.
Whitefish last beat Central in 2006, when they edged the Rams for their second state championship. Both teams have two chippers apiece.
Central’s senior Zyg mond leads the team with 15 goals and seven assists, while fellow senior J. Elliot has 10 goals and 13 assists.
Whitefish is led in scoring by junior Natalie Gayner with 17 goals and 10 assists. Senior Presley Pritchard has 14 goals and three assists.