Missoula Sentinel beats Bozeman 4-2 to advance to soccer semifinals

Missoula Sentinel girls soccer advanced to the Class AA state tournament semifinals with a hard-fought 4-2 victory over Bozeman. The unbeaten Spartans rallied after falling behind 2-1 in the first half, securing the win in front of a home crowd on Saturday.

Missoula Sentinel faced a defining moment 22 minutes into their Class AA girls soccer quarterfinal match when the Hawks capitalized on an own goal to take a 2-1 lead. Playing in front of a large home crowd on a sunny Saturday afternoon, the Spartans leaned on their depth and tactical adjustments to turn the momentum around. The Missoulian reported that the match tested the unbeaten hosts, who carry just four seniors on their roster this season.

The response was swift. Just three minutes after falling behind, Rose Richmond leveled the score at 2-2 with a crucial goal heading into halftime. Bozeman had disrupted Sentinel’s rhythm early on with an aggressive high press, making it difficult for the home side to build through the midfield.

Sentinel veteran coach Dan Lochridge explained the tactical shift required at the break. “We made some adjustments because we were getting beat in the midfield in the first half,” Lochridge told 406 MT Sports, as detailed by the Bozeman Daily Chronicle. “Second half we tried to play more direct to take that part out of the equation and sure enough it worked.”

Missoula Sentinel beats Bozeman 4-2 to advance to soccer semifinals — Photo: bozemandailychronicle.com

How did Sentinel secure the win in the second half?

The Spartans created numerous scoring chances over the opening 25 minutes of the second half, gradually wearing down the visiting defense. In the 68th minute, sophomore Athena Erikkson broke the deadlock by punching home a rebound to give Sentinel a 3-2 advantage.

Braylee Smith later added an insurance tally in the 72nd minute, sealing the 4-2 final score. Smith had opened the scoring earlier in the sixth minute before Bozeman fought back through goals from Lilly McSpadden and the fortuitous own goal off a far-post shot by Reese Scholl.

“At halftime we hyped each other up and knew that we had to push to win and we just went out there and gave it our best,” Smith said.

Bozeman head coach Erika Cannon acknowledged the turning point after the match, noting that her squad maintained strong momentum early before getting caught off guard by Sentinel’s sharp counterattacks.

What is next for Missoula Sentinel in the state tournament?

With the 4-2 quarterfinal victory secured, unbeaten Sentinel (13-0-2) moves forward in the postseason. The team will host the semifinal round on Tuesday at 2 p.m. at Sentinel.

The Spartans await the winner of Saturday night’s quarterfinal matchup between Kalispell Glacier and Billings Senior.