The Midvalley Sunday Soccer League began its fall season yesterday on a patch of grass that held cattle until June. The field sits behind the new storage unit complex on Gooch Hill Road, where the fence line still smells of manure and diesel.

Organizer Dale Haskins, 52, marked the boundaries with orange cones and a roll of twine he bought at Murdoch’s. “The goal posts are PVC pipe from the Habitat ReStore,” he said. “Same ones we used in 2019. They held up fine until the wind took the crossbar last November.”

Thirty-two players showed up. Half wore cleats from Dick’s. Half wore trail runners. One goalkeeper, a man named Ernie who runs a septic business in Belgrade, wore steel-toed Keens. He made three saves in the first half and apologized each time.

The league runs on an honor system. No referees. No slide tackles. Disputes settled by whoever has the clearest view and the loudest voice. “We had a handball argument last year that lasted twenty minutes,” said Tara Voss, a physical therapist who moved from Missoula in 2021. “Ended with both teams getting beers at the Mint. Seemed fair.”

Construction on the adjacent subdivision paused for the match. The excavator operator, a guy named Coop, idled his machine on the ridge and watched the second half. He waved when someone scored. The goal came from a high school senior named Luis, whose father coaches the Belgrade Panthers defensive line. The ball deflected off a divot, skipped past Ernie’s Keens, and settled in the net.

Afterward, both teams shared a case of Rainier and a tray of sandwiches from the deli at the Co-op. The storage unit lights flickered on behind them. Coop restarted his excavator. The divot where the winning goal crossed the line was already filling with loose dirt.

Next Sunday they play again. Same field. Same cones. Same honor system.