Bozeman and Missoula Hellgate will meet in the Class AA boys state soccer championship for the second year in a row after the Hawks and Knights won semifinal contests on Wednesday. Defending champion Bozeman defeated Helena Capital 3-1, while Hellgate downed Kalispell Glacier 3-0.
The girls championship will be an all-Billings finale, with defending champion Billings Skyview set to host Billings West on Saturday at Daylis Stadium. For updated scores and pairings from the Class AA state soccer playoffs, please click here.
Missoula Hellgate 3, Kalispell Glacier 0
Missoula Hellgate advanced to its sixth straight Class AA state title game with a 3-0 win over Kalispell Glacier at Fort Missoula Regional Park on Wednesday.
Beckett Arthur and Dane Becker scored in the first half for the Knights, and Marcus Anderson added an insurance goal late in the second half to pace Hellgate. The Knights won the Class AA state championship from 2015-2017 and were the runners-up to Bozeman last season.
Hellgate will rematch with Bozeman on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Fort Missoula for the state title
Bozeman 3, Helena Capital 1
Will Kaiser scored in the game's first 10 minutes, and Bozeman never looked back in a 3-1 semifinal win over Helena Capital on Wednesday. The defending-champion Hawks face Missoula Hellgate, last year's state runner-up, in a rematch on Saturday in Missoula.
Kaiser's goal was the lone score of the first half on a chilly day at Bozeman High School. Capital settled in after the opening minutes, keeping the Hawks at bay and the match within striking distance. But the second half belonged to the home team.
Sam Byerly scored in the early minutes of the second half, giving Bozeman a 2-0 cushion, then Jackson Coles found his way into the scoring column some 10 minutes later to put Bozeman ahead 3-0. Ryan Quinn gave Capital hope late in the contest, but the deficit was too much to overcome.
Bozeman and Hellgate meet Saturday at 2 p.m. at Fort Missoula. The Hawks and Knights have combined to win the last eight Class AA championships, four apiece, with two of Bozeman's wins coming against the Knights in the title match.
