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With world-class soccer drawing attention in the United States as a co-host of the 2026 World Cup, we take another opportunity to revisit the high school highlights from 2025.
With our main focus on Northwest Montana, we have already published our men’s review on Monday, and today we feature the women’s action from last fall.
At almost the same time as the men’s Class A championship was being contested in Polson on November 1, the women’s division title game was taking place in Columbia Falls, where the undefeated Wildkats were battling conference foe Bigfork.
To make the Class A championship game, the Kats needed a 5-4 victory over East power Billings Central in the quarterfinals before overpowering Lone Peak 4-1 in the semifinals. Bigfork had to win three matches to make the finale, including a 2-1 nailbiter over Whitefish in the Northwest A play-in game, as well as a 1-0 semifinal thriller over the East’s top seed, Park High, in Livingston.
In the Class A finale, Columbia Falls hosted the Valkyries at a dripping wet Flip Darling Memorial Field, where both teams played close to the vest in the first 45 minutes. Wildkat keeper Elaina Dorr and Bigfork’s Irelynd Vigil exchanged saves against offenses hampered by the mud and rain to keep the score knotted 0-0 at intermission.
In the second half, a fired-up Columbia Falls’ side came out attacking the Valkyrie goal, and after 20 minutes, forward Tatiana Raymond headed a Riley Byrd corner kick into the net to get the game’s first score.
Five minutes later, Mila Johns netted a shot off a Raymond assist to double the Kats' lead to 2-0. Not long afterwards, Columbia Falls forward Onnikka Lawrence rippled the net with back-to-back goals to start a Kat coronation with ten minutes to go.
Many of the 2025 Columbia Falls squad members were on the roster when they fell to Whitefish in the 2023 title game. The 2025 Wildkats used that experience to fuel an undefeated season, going 13-0-2, with the ties being in conference play against Bigfork and Whitefish. The Wildkats wore the crown for the first time since their first, back in 2004, when they beat Billings Central 2-1 in overtime.
This fall, all three Northwest A women’s soccer powers lose their goalkeepers, with Columbia Falls Dorr, Bigfork’s Vigil, and Whitefish’s Jackie Solem all graduating. Although those three squads will be breaking in new net minders, they all have several key players returning.
Columbia Falls has a bevy of experienced starters coming back, including first-team all-conference and all-state seniors Riley Byrd and Alexa Friske. Second-team all-conference players include forwards Tatiana Raymond and Annika Lawrence along with junior honorable-mention midfielder Evie Dorr. Lawrence was the squad’s second-leading scorer in 2025, netting 14 goals, while Byrd was tied for third with 11.
Bigfork suffered the biggest losses to graduation. Along with keeper Vigil, Paeten Gunlock and Ione Plummer were first-team all-conference and all-state for the Valkyries in 2025. Taylor Johnson and Brynn Bagley were second-team all-league, and all five have played their final seasons in Valkyrie uniforms.
Kaitlyn Gembala, Michaela Anderson, and Sadie Panek are the only seniors on the Bigfork side, but three of their top scorers from 2025 return. Valkyrie juniors Gwenna Lustig, Sofie Albiero, and Taite Welsh all scored six or more goals last fall. Senior midfielder Mickie Anderson was a 2025 honorable-mention all-conference player.
Whitefish will counter with a small lineup, led by all-state and first-team all-conference players Sage Ordway, a junior defender, and Atley Bingham, a sophomore midfielder. They’ll be fronted by sophomore Neva Sliman, a second-team all-league forward, who led the Bulldogs in scoring with 16 goals last fall.
Bingham had eight scores, while classmate Hailey Reardon was just behind at seven. Senior forward Anna Boyson, along with second-team all-conference sophomore mid Adelle Flynn, will apply front-line support. Barrett Clark, Ayla Mosher, and Jenna Kimble will provide excellent backline support to whoever settles in at goalkeeper.
In Class AA women’s soccer, the Glacier Wolfpack battled back from a 1-3 start to the 2025 campaign and went 9-0-2 to finish the regular season. That run included four consecutive wins on the road, ending with a 10-0 shellacking of Butte in their season finale. Glacier’s strong finish earned the squad the West’s third seed in the state playoffs and a first-round home game against the Helena Capital Bruins.
On a beautiful October 21 afternoon, the Wolfpack nine took on the Bruins in a tense defensive struggle, with Capital’s Katerina Routzahn breaking the ice in the 27th minute, giving her team a 1-0 lead.
That score held until late in the second half, when Glacier’s Avi Schmautz scored on a strong rebound of a shot by teammate Gracie Wilker.
After a hotly contested last fifteen minutes, where both teams failed to convert chances against keepers Reese Price for Capital and Glacier’s Aerin Todd, the game went to extra time.
Five minutes into overtime, Capital senior Jane Stiffler took an assist from Routzahn and converted to put the Bruins up 2-1, with five minutes to go. The Wolfpack offense had a couple more opportunities, but couldn’t pe*****te the Bruin defense in the final minutes.
The Bruins’ keeper had 16 saves against the potent Glacier offense. Todd stopped six of eight Capital attempts in a fine outing, but it wasn’t enough.
The Wolfpack, loaded with young talent, will use that playoff experience to bolster their efforts in what looks to be the makings of a great performance this coming fall.
The 2026 Wolfpack will be led by junior netminder Aerin Todd, who will be supported by senior defenders Kylie Shine and Amelia Bender, as well as sophomore Caitryn Vander Vloedt.
Glacier’s top-notch frontline will consist of juniors Gracie Winkler, Addison Brisendine, Bailey Dahlman, and Lucy Holloway, who’ll provide much of the firepower. At midfield, senior Emma Allen and juniors Hailey Fiala, Neve Travis, Reid Sanders, and Hazel Remley will provide solid swing play on what should be a powerful lineup.
The Glacier soccer program beat Bozeman 2-1 to win the Class AA championship in 2020, and finished third the year before. Will the 2026 crew break through to make some more Class AA history? We’ll find out in less than four months!
Flathead won the girls' State AA championship way back in 1993, and in the ten years from 2002 to 2011, finished no less than fourth a total of eight times. The Bravettes have not played in the final rounds of the Class AA playoffs in 15 years and have a thin roster in 2026, led by seniors Adeline Schneider and Azalea Bailey, as well as juniors Issabel Amundson, Chloe Baker, and netminder Hannah Bailey.
Women’s high school soccer in Northwest Montana shapes up as a pretty exciting time; we look forward to watching it take shape, starting in less than eight weeks!
Please LIKE, FOLLOW, and SHARE this gallery of our Photographer’s Favorites from women’s soccer action in 2025 if you see someone you know!

Bigfork School District 38, Columbia Falls Wildcat Soccer, Whitefish High School, Glacier Wolfpack Soccer