United earn a split on their own pitch

Hi-Line United forward Logan Pike (right) battles a Miles City Posse player for a ball during Saturday's U19 soccer match at the Havre High Soccer Fields. The United played their only two home games of the season Saturday.

After spending most of the season on the road, the Hi-Line United U19 coed soccer team finally had its two game home stand.

Spending the w

Hi-Line United's Carlos Tovar takes a ball off the chest during a U19 soccer game Saturday afternoon in Havre.

eekend at home, the United played two tough opponents. And hosting Miles City and the Sidney Posse at the Havre High soccer fields on Saturday, the United was able to earn the 1-1 split. United defeated Miles City 4-2, but fell to the much tougher, Posse select team 2-1. The United now sit at 6-4-0 overall and 6-2-0 in the conference, as well as sit as the No. 2 team with 18 points behind Laurel with 21.

In the win over Miles City, the United outplayed the competition for two complete halves.

"It was great to get a win in front of our fans," United forward Logan Pike said. "We played possession the whole game and played our style the entire game. We didn't play their game, so it was a very good win."

Havre had 20 total shots on goal, while Taran Huestis had 12 saves in the net. Miles City had just a handful of shots, and even less on goal as the United controlled the tempo, the time of possession and continually hammered the ball into the Miles City half. And the United got off to a hot start, earning eight corner kicks in the first 45 minutes.

Troy Mord scored the first goal for the United. Mord flew into the box, following a failed shot attempt at the 9:35 mark. Sam Lippy gave United a 2-0 lead at the 16:37 mark, cleaning up after the United's sixth corner kick of the half.

United's two other goals came in the second half. They had just one corner kick, but piled on eight more shots on goal. Miles City did score at the 53 minute mark, but Lippy added his second goal near the 60 minute mark, following a rip from Desmond Fialkosky from 20-yards out that settled in front of the net. Logan Pike also scored in the solid offensive outing, heading in a goal on a Lippy throw in 63 minutes into the match.

Lippy and Pike both had assists, as did Fialkosky.

It was a solid win by the United squad, and they accomplished what they set out to do, protect the home pitch. They outplayed Miles City and was in control the entire 90 minutes.

"When we play at home," Pike said. ""It is that much harder for teams to beat us. We have to defend our home.

"We have a good history with Miles City and it felt good to get this win at home." Lippy added. "We play our best when we are talking and we did that."

Unfortunately for the United, the Sidney Posse proved to be a much tougher opponent. They are a select team and are technically a level above the United, but it didn't look that way on Saturday, as the United squad was in contention for a win from the first whistle.

"That is the hardest part," Lippy said. "When we played so well in the first game, it is always hard to carry that over into the second game. But we did that and that showed we worked all week long in practice. A 2-1 loss, it happens sometimes, but it still hurts. It is growing into a good rivalry with (Sidney). They aren't in our league, but that doesn't mean anything to us. For us it is just a hard fought, tough hitting game against another good team. We want to show them that we know we can beat them.'

The United went up 1-0 early, with Pike scoring the only United goal of the match. Pike's goal came from a Huestis goal kick about 15 minutes in. But the lead didn't last too long, as the Posse tied the match 1-1 and went up 2-1 early in the second half. 50 minutes in, the Posse scored on a penalty shot.

The United had chances, but unfortunately the shots just didn't go in their favor. In the second half, Pike narrowly missed a shot about 53 minutes in, Fialkosky missed an open goal shot about 70 minutes in and late in the match Payton Robertson had a free kick opportunity and had an extremely well placed header saved in the corner by the Posse goalie.

In the match Huestis had 10 saves, while the United had 19 total shots on goal. Huestis was also credited the assist.