In 1993, the year after forming a soccer program, and two years after soccer became a sanctioned school sport in Montana, the Flathead Bravettes won the Class AA girls state title. The boys followed that up with consecutive titles of their own in 1993 and 1994.
It appeared Flathead was on its way to building a dominant soccer tradition, for both boys and girls. But while the boys went on to win titles in 1998, 2005 and 2006, the girls haven’t won again, which isn’t to say the Bravettes haven’t been among the state’s elite. They’ve finished fourth or better six out of the last eight seasons.
This season the Bravettes are as good as they’ve been in years and, if they can win their play-in game, they’ll have a chance to prove it when the Class AA state tournament begins on Oct. 28-30 at Siebel Fields in Great Falls.
All-state senior co-captain Chelsea Shuman, who has committed to play at Montana State University-Billings, has played varsity for the Bravettes since her freshman year and said she feels this team stacks up with the best.
“This is a team that really can go all the way,” Shuman said.
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Flathead’s Tess Brenneman, left, celebrates with her teammates after scoring the first goal in the Bravettes’ 2-1 win over Glacier in Kalispell. |
With the regular season over, Flathead only has two losses, both to No. 1 and undefeated Missoula Sentinel. The Bravettes are 7-2-3 and ranked No. 2 in Western AA.
Flathead’s play-in game is against last-seeded Missoula Hellgate on Oct. 22 at Kidsport Complex in Kalispell. The Flathead boys, winless at 0-12, also have their play-in game this week. And both Glacier’s boys, 3-8-1, and girls, 2-6-4, are scheduled for play-in games.
The No. 1 seeds from the east and west don’t have to play an extra game and instead get a bye to the state tournament.
Scott Warnell, in his seventh year as Bravettes’ head coach and ninth overall, said his team thrives on ball movement and crisp passing. He said he has speedy players up front and back on defense, while his midfielders – the playmakers – control the tempo of the game and distribute the ball to scorers like Shuman.
“We’re a pretty balanced team – good offense, good defense,” Warnell said.
One of the Bravettes’ main problems, Warnell said, has been an occasional inability to finish plays. They get the ball down the field and in scoring position, but sometimes they can’t put it in the back of the net. Those ties and two losses could have easily been wins if the Bravettes had finished one or two more plays when it mattered.
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Flathead’s Chelsea Shuman, left, competes for the ball against Glacier’s Sara Burch during the Bravettes’ 2-1 win last week at the Kidsport Complex in Kalispell. |
While Shuman and her fellow captains agree that finishing has been a problem at times, they think the Bravettes have ironed out a lot of those problems. Stephanie Brewer, a senior co-captain on defense, said postseason success, beginning with the play-in game, will simply be a matter of playing up to the team’s high potential.
“I think we’re fit physically, but we need to take that next step mentally,” Brewer said.
Along with Brewer and Shuman, Flathead’s other two captains are senior goaltender Karli Kusler and junior Tess Brenneman. Brewer said she’s been talking with Northwest University in the Seattle area for college soccer.
Shuman leads all Western AA scorers with 13 goals, to go along with two assists. She was named Class AA all-state as a junior and is on her way to another all-state selection this season. Brenneman was also selected all-state in 2009. As a team, Flathead held opponents to 16 goals in 12 games during the regular season, while scoring 24 goals.
To see tournament brackets, log on to www.flatheadbeacon.com/flathead-valley-sports. The brackets will be posted as soon as the play-in games are finished.
Bravettes Recent Postseason History:
2009 – didn’t qualify
2008 – 4th place
2007 – 4th place
2006 – 3rd place
2005 – 4th place
*won Class AA title in 1993