MISSOULA — It didn’t take long for Tuesday afternoon’s boys soccer match between Sentinel and Hellgate to turn into a physical affair.
Hard tackles, plenty of whistles and some light chirping between the sides set the backdrop for a classic Missoula crosstown duel between two of the best squads in Western AA. The intensity is all but guaranteed going into every edition of the rivalry.
The heightened emotions and stakes of the game, Hellgate coach Jay Anderson said, present a golden opportunity to find the types of environments teams will see in the postseason. The weather will be different once the playoffs roll around — Tuesday’s game was played under a sweltering sun without a cloud in the sky — but the energy will be quite comparable.
“I would love to play Sentinel six times a year because we want those high-caliber games to get ready for playoffs,” Anderson said. “These games definitely matter in showing how we can win in a tight game.”
Sentinel (4-3) found the back of the net first, but it was the Knights (6-1) who escaped Sentinel’s grounds with a 2-1 victory. The win continues Hellgate’s unbeaten stretch against Sentinel, dating back to 2023.
Junior forward Declan Reed said his team kept its head up after falling behind early, leading to the eventual victory.
“It’s been a lot of work and effort,” Reed added. “We just found our groove and came back for the win.”
Many of the athletes compete on the same Missoula-based club soccer teams, adding an extra layer of intensity to the matchups. Knowing each other’s tendencies, junior Spartan Dieu Merci Ascena said, makes scoring more difficult at times. On the other hand, it makes wins that much sweeter.
“It was really emotional,” Ascenda said. “I played against my friends in there, so it just feels good and I feel proud.”
The Spartans feature junior Blaise Olsen, who led Western AA entering Tuesday’s game in goals (11). It didn’t take long for the Spartan to find the net once again, banging in a header in the 15th minute from a cross.
Aside from the goal, though, the Knights peppered Sentinel with scoring opportunities throughout the first half. Ascenda nearly broke open the game before Olsen’s header in the opening stages of the game but the ball barely crossed over the crossbar.
Staying engaged, Ascenda said, was the key to responding.
“We really locked in,” he added. “Once we got that first goal, we brought our energy back.”
In the 38th minute, just moments before the end of the first half, Ascenda got his redemption with a tap-in goal on the left side of the keeper from a cross. The score marked his eighth of the year, finding space inside the box behind the Spartans’ back line and converting an easy one to tie the match at one.
“I didn’t see anything,” Ascenda said of the goal. “I was just trying to score. The ball came up on me. I touched it, the ball goes in.”
Hellgate continued its momentum into the second half, earning a large majority of the scoring chances. Sentinel’s stingy defense kept the team afloat, maintaining a 1-1 draw into the final 10 minutes.
Reed, the younger brother of former Montana Gatorade Player of the Year Brady Reed, scored the tiebreaker.
Taking possession of the ball around the top of the box on the right side of the net, Reed made a quick turn toward the net and ripped his 11th goal of the year. He said he saw “not a lot” of opportunity in the moment before he delivered the winner.
“I just really appreciated that the guys didn’t give up (after Sentinel’s goal),” Anderson said. “They just kept battling through, and eventually they got the tying one.
“I think when that happened, they knew they could get a second one.”
Hellgate lost 14 seniors after the 2024 season, a campaign that ended in a state semifinal loss to Billings Senior. Finding a new identity and sense of cohesion has been a work in progress, Anderson said.
The team has shown flashes of brilliance and also made mistakes, he continued, but his team should be able to hang with the best of the conference.
“We’re going to continue to get better,” Anderson added, “and hopefully we’re peaking at the right time.”
Carson Cashion is a sports writer for 406 MT Sports. Follow him on X @CarsonCashion or contact him at carson.cashion@406mtsports.com.
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