Bulldogs perfect again

Whitefish boys sink C-Falls; girls tie 0-0

The Daily Inter Lake

COLUMBIA FALLS - The Bulldogs made it two in a row with their 27th straight victory.

The Whitefish High School boys' soccer team secured its second consecutive undefeated regular season Thursday with a 5-2 Northern A victory over rival Columbia Falls.

The Bulldogs went 15-0 last year en route to the Class A state championship. They are 12-0 this fall, and begin their title defense Oct. 13 when they host Southern A's No. 3 squad - Corvallis or Hamilton - at 1 p.m.

Matt Grindrod was the man of the match Thursday, registering a hat trick while moving up to forward in place of the injured Jonas Magstadt, who leads Class A in goals.

"He is probably our most versatile player," Whitefish coach O'Brien Byrd said of Grindrod. "He can play any position with excellence."

Grindrod quickly put the Bulldogs in front with a second-minute goal, but the Wildcats made it 1-all just two minutes later on Chase Jackson's scoring strike.

Preston Taylor reclaimed Whitefish's lead in the 11th minute before Columbia Falls battled back again with Jackson's second goal.

"We got caught throwing too many numbers forward, and (the Wildcats) had two clinical counterattacks where we were out-manned," Byrd said.

Whitefish led 3-2 at halftime thanks to Grindrod's second goal, and Grindrod and Taylor scored once apiece after the break as the Bulldogs played keep-away.

"In the second half they played a possession game, and we stood around and watched them play," Columbia Falls coach Peter Browne said. "You have to play 80 minutes if you want to compete at the top level."

Edgar Salcido and Cody Bowman had assists for Columbia Falls (2-4-1 conference, 5-5-1 overall), which visits Polson on Saturday at 11 a.m. It is a crucial season-ending match as the Wildcats and Bigfork Vikings (2-4-1 conference) vie for Northern A's third postseason berth behind Whitefish and Libby.

"It's a must-win situation and we might need to score a bunch of goals," Browne said.

Whitefish's Shane Widdifield notched two assists, while Pat Jones and Travis Adams had one apiece. Midfielder Alex Konopatzke also had a vital hand in the victory.

"He was one of the guys that had to make an adjustment (in the second half)," Byrd said. "He made it, and that was one of our keys."

The Bulldogs have today through Sunday off to rest and refocus on their upcoming quarterfinal match.

"You can't start thinking too far ahead," Byrd said. "I've done that before in the past and it's come around to bite us."

Whitefish 3 2 - 5

Columbia Falls 2 0 - 2

WHITEFISH - Matt Grindrod, 2:00; Preston Taylor (Shane Widdifield), 11:00; Grindrod (Pat Jones), 36:00; Grindrod (Widdifield), 43:00; Taylor (Travis Adams), 48:00

COLUMBIA FALLS - Chase Jackson (Edgar Salcido), 4:00; Jackson (Cody Bowman), 21:00

Shots on goal - WF 16, CF 10

Corner kicks - WF 6, CF 3

Goalie saves - WF 4 (Joe Galbraith), CF 12 (George Kimerly)

Fouls - WF 7, CF 8

Cards - None

Lady Bulldogs 0, Wildkats 0

COLUMBIA FALLS - There was plenty of action, just no goals.

Columbia Falls and Whitefish played hard-nosed defense in a Northern A thriller.

Wildkats goalkeeper Colyne Hislop made 11 saves behind defenders Kate Anderson, Jylisa Fields and Ashili Fairbank, while Lady Bulldog defenders Kelsey McCluskey, Alissa LaChance, Hayley Murphy and Megan Apple held Columbia Falls to five shots on goal, including three free kicks.

"Our defense played out of their minds today, just incredible," Whitefish coach Lini Reading said.

"Our back four just did an outstanding job being ball winners, reading the game, starting the attack out of the back."

Columbia Falls moved to 3-2-2 in conference and 6-3-2 overall, while Northern A champion Whitefish finished its regular season at 6-1-1 in conference and 7-4-1 overall.

The Wildkats, in third place behind 4-2-1 Libby, visit Polson on Saturday at 1 p.m.

"I thought the first half we might have had a little more possession (than Whitefish), I don't know," Columbia Falls coach Greg Trenerry said. "The second half, (the Lady Bulldogs) came out pretty hard and they had us on our heels a little bit, and during that time (Hislop) kept us in the match."

The Lady Bulldogs are off until Oct. 13 when they host Corvallis in a 3 p.m. state quarterfinal match.

"We're taking a deep breath," Reading said. "We've been hanging on by threads this last week with our brutal schedule.

"It's time to have a mellow practice tomorrow and get back to work next week for the playoffs."

Whitefish 0 0 - 0

Columbia Falls 0 0 - 0

Shots on goal - WF 12, CF 5

Corner kicks - WF 4, CF 3

Goalie saves - WF 4 (Callie Marsh), CF 11 (Colyne Hislop)

Fouls - WF 9, CF 13

Cards - WF 1 (yellow), CF 1 (yellow)