Lady Loggers drop shortened season opener, 2-0

The Libby Loggers girl’s soccer team lost their first match of the season, Saturday, Aug. 29, to Hamilton, 2-0. The game was called off near the 60-minute mark due to the dangerous fire conditions in Libby.

“It was an interesting set of circumstances Saturday,” Joe Cik, the head coach, said. “The wind picked up around the 50 minute mark and we decided it be best to call the game and give Hamilton a safe ride home. The game does count.”

Cik said he was excited about the way his team was performing before the game was called off.

“I was really excited about the way we were playing,” he said. “It’s been hard with practicing indoors, but I was very excited about the way we played. We were passing the way you’d expect a team to play that’s been practicing passing indoors.”

Cik said his team showed major improvements from last year’s performance.

“It was a huge improvement compared to last year,” he said. “Last year we lost to Hamilton 6-0. We played faster and I was very impressed with the way we played.”

The Loggers goalkeeper, Shannon Reny had a good day protecting the net, recording 13 saves.

Now that the smoke has settled, Cik is hoping that his team can get back to practicing outside.

“I’m really happy with the way the girls performed,” he said. “I think we are going to be very competitive this year. We are going to get back to practicing outside and I think that will help immensely.”

The girl’s next game is Thursday, Sept. 3, at Whitefish.

“Last year we lost to White Fish 4-0,” he said. “They also lost to Hamilton this year and we are looking forward to giving them a competitive game Thursday. I think it will be a competitive match.”