In a dramatic weekend of Montana high school postseason action, the Whitefish boys soccer team punched its ticket to the Class A semifinals after a tense penalty shootout victory over Lockwood at Smith Fields. Meanwhile, Columbia Falls faced a tough exit on the road, falling 4-0 to Billings Central in a quarterfinal clash.
The Whitefish showdown required extra time and high-stakes spot kicks to separate two evenly matched squads. Lockwood struck first when Joao Pedro Silviera converted a penalty in the 88th minute. Facing elimination on home turf, Whitefish responded immediately. In the 92nd minute, Tristan Irwin netted an equalizer off an assist from Roen Chisholm to force a penalty shootout.
In the shootout, the Lions executed under pressure, converting four penalties to secure a 4-2 victory. Ben Nelson anchored the defensive effort for Whitefish with six saves in a physical contest that saw both sides finish with equal shares of shots, corners, and fouls.
Playoff Results and Semifinal Matchups
With the quarterfinal win secured, Whitefish advances to host Livingston in the semifinal round. Livingston booked its own ticket to the next stage by defeating Corvallis 3-0 on Saturday. On the other side of the bracket, Billings Central eliminated Columbia Falls behind a commanding hat trick from Cal Weisen.
Weisen opened the scoring in the 23rd minute, added his second goal shortly after halftime in the 53rd minute, and completed his hat trick 13 minutes later. Skylar Sanchez also contributed a goal for the Rams, powering a 20-shot offensive attack against the Wildcats.
“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 now advances to face Polson in the semifinals. The Pirates secured their own spot in the next round by edging Bigfork 5-3 in a penalty shootout following a 1-1 deadlock through regulation and extra time.
