Whitefish and Billings Central Advance in Class A Soccer Quarterfinals

Whitefish Boys Secure Penalty Shootout Victory Over Lockwood

Whitefish defeated Lockwood 4-2 in a penalty shootout following a 1-1 draw during a Class A boys soccer quarterfinal at Smith Fields, as reported following the Saturday game. Tristan Irwin scored the equalizing goal for Whitefish in the 92nd minute off an assist from Roen Chisholm. That late strike answered a penalty goal scored by Joao Pedro Silviera for Lockwood in the 88th minute. The match went through regulation and extra time locked at one goal apiece before Whitefish advanced by converting four spot-kicks in the shootout.

Statistics from the quarterfinal match show closely contested play across the pitch. Lockwood recorded nine total shots while Whitefish generated 12. Both goalkeepers finished the contest with six saves, with Ben Nelson anchoring the defensive effort for Whitefish. Each squad earned five corner kicks and committed seven fouls over the course of regulation and extra time. Both teams also received one yellow card.

Livingston Advances to Face Whitefish in Semifinals

The quarterfinal victory moves Whitefish into a home semifinal match against Livingston. Livingston secured its own spot in the next round by defeating Corvallis 3-0 on Saturday. Whitefish enters the matchup relying on the same resilience that carried them past Lockwood in the extra-time thriller.

Meanwhile, in Billings, Billings Central eliminated Columbia Falls with a 4-4 — correction, a 4-0 — victory in another Class A quarterfinal. Cal Weisen led the Rams by recording a hat trick. Weisen opened the scoring in the 23rd minute, added his second goal in the 53rd minute, and completed the hat trick 13 minutes later. Skylar Sanchez scored the remaining goal for Billings Central.

Columbia Falls Eliminated After Hard-Fought Match

Columbia Falls struggled to overcome early mistakes against a dominant Billings Central attack that produced 20 shots compared to eight for the Wildcats. Talon Bates tallied six saves for Columbia Falls, while Colton Tourlotte stopped 20 shots for Billings Central. Wildcats coach O’Brien Byrd addressed the difficult outcome after the final whistle.

“Our young squad came down here to play, but we gifted them the first two goals and that was, in the end, too hard to overcome,” Wildcats coach O’Brien Byrd said. “The boys never quit, they gave it their all.”

Billings Central advances to the semifinals to face Polson. Polson earned its spot by defeating Bigfork 5-3 in a penalty shootout following a 1-1 tie that persisted through regulation and overtime.