Whitefish soccer fends off Bigfork
Lady Bulldogs win 4-1; Bulldogs post 2nd straight shutout
By GREG SCHINDLER - The Daily Inter Lake
BIGFORK - The gap is narrowing.
The defending Class A state champion Whitefish High School soccer teams swept Bigfork on Thursday in two gritty Northern A matches, illustrating the conference's increasing parity and quality of play.
The Lady Bulldogs opened with a 4-1 victory before the Bulldogs blanked the Vikings 3-0.
Lady Bulldogs 4, Valkyries 1
Whitefish took control early, but had to reclaim it in the second half.
Carly Lengstorf scored the first of her two goals in the second minute off a Meredith Reed assist, and Megan Powell made it 2-0 with an unassisted strike 12 minutes later.
The Lady Bulldogs went to halftime with a 2-0 advantage, but the Valkyries cut the lead to 2-1 when Andie Sorenson scored off a deflected header 10 minutes into the second stanza.
"We kind of felt like we were just comfortable with the way the score was, and we should never be that way," Whitefish senior Kaitlyn Sleichter said.
"Then when they scored we kind of realized, 'Hey, they can play, they can score,' so we definitely picked it up and kept the tempo going."
Whitefish responded like champions, regaining their two-goal cushion on Lengstorf's 58th-minute goal, courtesy of Heather Melcer's assist, and icing the victory on Kelsey McCluskey's majestic free kick in the 74th minute.
The Lady Bulldogs improved to 5-1 in Northern A play and 6-3 overall, while the Valkyries fell to 0-6 in conference action and 2-10 overall.
"We had a couple of really good things going on," Sleichter said. "We were passing to feet a lot more consistently than normal. We were finding our runs."
Whitefish, which played all 20 of its players in each half, unleashed 24 shots, but Bigfork goalkeepers Charlene Miller and Quinci Paine combined for 18 saves.
"It was pretty clear we're more experienced than they are," Whitefish coach Lini Reading said. "I had every confidence that we weren't going to let this game slip away.
"Not to discredit Bigfork at all. They worked hard, they stepped it up, which forced us to play more organized, more intense and be focused."
Whitefish lost its first conference game in two years Saturday at Libby, but Reading said the Northern A's newfound competitive balance benefits all members.
"You want to have the run of the play, but you want to have to work for it," she said. "Bigfork made us work for it … the disparity in the league is gone, and we're going to have to work for everything."
Bigfork coach Steve Koch was pleased with the Valkyries' resolve to battle back after falling behind so quickly.
"They were very focused at halftime," he said. "They felt like they were still in the game and that they could play with this team, and I certainly agreed with them.
"I told them that if they were able to put a goal in within the first five (minutes) that the whole complexity of the match would change. I felt after we got that goal, (the Lady Bulldogs) became a lot more physical and a lot more rattled, we just didn't match their physical play."
Whitefish 2 2 - 4
Bigfork 0 1 - 1
WHITEFISH - Carly Lengstorf (Meredith Reed), 2:00; Megan Powell, 14:00; Lengstorf (Heather Melcer), 58:00; Kelsey McCluskey (free kick), 74:00
BIGFORK - Andie Sorenson, 50:00
Shots on goal - WF 24, BF 5
Corner kicks - WF 5, BF 3
Goalie saves - WF 4 (Mariah Driscoll), BF 18 (Charlene Miller 13, Quinci Paine 5)
Fouls - WF 9, BF 4
Cards - WF 4 (3 yellow, 1 soft red), BF 0
Bulldogs 3, Vikings 0
Whitefish keeps rolling while Bigfork keeps improving.
The Bulldogs (9-0 overall, 6-0 Northern A) posted their second straight shutout and 24th consecutive victory, but not without some drama.
Bigfork (3-6, 2-4) held Whitefish scoreless until Shane Widdifield struck in the 33rd minute. The Bulldogs led 2-0 at halftime after Preston Taylor scored off a Patrick Jones assist just before the break.
Jones iced the defensive struggle in the 64th minute, scoring off a Mac Adams assist, while goalkeeper Joe Galbraith made six saves to thwart Bigfork's pressure.
"I was a little disappointed with the way we started the game," Whitefish coach O'Brien Byrd said. "We lacked intensity, we lacked communication. I think we just expected Bigfork to show up and roll over and just give us the victory, and I was disappointed in that."
The Bulldogs fired 17 shots on goal, but the Vikings managed eight of their own, despite their defensive posture.
"It was definitely the best game we've played all season," Bigfork coach Keith Koslosky said. "The boys rose to the occasion and they proved to themselves what level they can play at if they choose to."
The Vikings executed their plan for 80 minutes, but Whitefish's key adjustments and immense fire-power proved pivotal.
"We had Bigfork pinned in their half (early on)," Byrd said. "We kept possession, but we didn't have any teeth, we were no danger to them.
"So instead of playing passes, short balls and keeping possession, we changed to playing dangerous balls in the box from wide positions. Playing the ball wide, getting an early ball in."
Bigfork's Bob Denning was outstanding, as were Matt McGady, Matt Vlastelica, Garrett Pewe and Lael Richmond.
Byrd said the Bulldogs are even more skilled and technically sound than they were last year, however, making them equally potent and stingy.
"Communication is key with us," Galbraith said of Whitefish's defense.
"Communication and fast touch - getting (the ball) out of the defense fast, switching it to the other side."
According to Byrd, Whitefish's defense is based on trust.
"We're always covering for each other," he said. "If one man challenges, he challenges with 100 percent effort, knowing there's someone that has his back, that somebody's covering, sweeping for him."
Whitefish 2 1 - 3
Bigfork 0 0 - 0
WHITEFISH - Shane Widdifield, 33:00; Preston Taylor (Patrick Jones), 40:00; Jones (Mac Adams), 64:00
Shots on goal - WF 17, BF 8
Corner kicks - WF 5, BF 2
Goalie saves - WF 6 (Joe Galbraith), BF 6 (Levi Dockstader)
Fouls - WF 14, BF 6
Cards - WF 1 (yellow), BF 0