By Danny Waldo
It wasn’t the trophy they were hoping to bring home, but it was a trophy nonetheless.
Recently, the Bozeman Hawk boys’ and girls’ soccer teams wrapped up the 2015 season by finishing third at the Class AA state soccer tournament held in Billings, October 29-31.
The tournament started off strong for both clubs, as the No. 2 seeded Bozeman boys blanked Kalispell-Glacier, 3-0, in the opening round. The Lady Hawks, the No. 1 seed, then followed suit, hammering Helena Capital to open tournament play with a 6-1 thrashing. But return trips to the state championships were not in the cards, as both clubs were tripped up in the state semi-finals, the boys by a score of 1-0 to eventual champion, Missoula Hellgate, and the girls in a 3-2 shootout loss to state runner-up, Missoula Sentinel.
But in admirable fashion, the Hawks and Lady Hawks rebounded in loser-out action to earn third place and bring back more hardware to Bozeman. The Bozeman boys defeated Missoula Sentinel 3-1 to earn their consolation trophy, while the Lady Hawks edged Billings West to earn their fourth consecutive trophy at state.
For the Bozeman boys, the loss in the state semis ended a three-year reign as state champions (Bozeman defeated Helena High in 2012 and 2013 and Missoula Hellgate last year), but the third place trophy secured their fifth consecutive Top-3 finish at state.
For the girls, the success has been similar. The Lady Hawks have finished in the Top-3 the past four years, including a runner-up finish a year ago, and the third place trophy was the 12th piece of hardware collected by longtime girls coach, Erica Cannon.
Both squads employed young rosters this season, so the future looks bright for the two programs. But for now, each can revel in their success during the 2015 season and look for a return to the top of the AA ranks next season.
Danny Waldo is a local freelance writer covering Bozeman Hawk and Montana State Bobcat athletics. Contact Danny with questions or comments at bozemansports@gmail.com.
