Class A soccer: Pirates, Bulldogs play to draw
WHITEFISH — Polson’s Mike Mercer scored on a free kick from 30 yards out in the final seconds of the first half and the Pirates defended well enough to earn a tie in a Northern A conference match on Tuesday.
Polson’s Alex Helgeson opened the scoring unassisted in the 17th minute, to give the Pirates an early lead.
Whitefish responded late in the half, Shanoah Montano scoring a pair of goals within a minute of each other, with assists from Jared Johnson and Quinten Joos.
However, it was Mercer’s free kick that sealed the tie in the waning seconds of the half.
“When we went down, we were really pressing for a goal,” Whitefish coach O’Brien Byrd said. “It didn’t pan out until the very end. We were able to get two off of our high pressure.
“In the second half, you have to give full credit to Polson. Their defense was stifling. We really had trouble penetrating the space behind them.”
It was the first draw for each team this season.
Polson 2 0 — 2
Whitefish 2 0 — 2
P — Alex Helgeson (unassisted), 17:00
W — Shanoah Montano (Jared Johnson), 37:00
W — Montano (Quinten Joos), 38:00
P — Mike Mercer (free kick), 40:00
Shots on goal — Polson 2, Whitefish 8. Saves — Polson 8 (Trevor Basler), Whitefish 2 (Sam Benkelman). Corner kicks — Polson 1, Whitefish 5. Fouls — Polson 13, Whitefish 9. Cards — none.
GIRLS
Whitefish 2, Polson 2
WHITEFISH — Whitefish and Polson’s girls played to a draw on the pitch, with a goal from the Pirates Marina Mayorga evening the score with 10 minutes to play.
Whitefish had taken the lead in the second half after a goal from Haley Nicholson in the 52nd minute. They tied the match midway through the first half on a score from Jess Baldonado.
Sarah Howell led off the game with a goal for Polson in the second minute on an assist from Tiara Duford.
“We got off to a slow start,” Whitefish coach Wendy Farrens said. “We were able to fight back and score a couple goals.
“Their last goal came off a brilliant save by Kess [Nelson]. She wasn’t able to hold on to it and they scored.
“We definitely have a couple things we want to work on. Polson’s a strong team and they brought their ‘A-game’ today.”
Polson 1 1 — 2
Whitefish 1 1 — 2
P — Sarah Howell (Tiara Duford), 2:00
W — Jess Baldonado (Grace Kurtz), 25:00
W — Haley Nicholson (Haley Burger), 52:00
P — Marina Mayorga (unassisted), 70:00
Shots on goal — Polson 17, W 14. Saves — Polson 7 (Jenna Evertz), Whitefish 15 (Kess Nelson). Corner kicks — Polson 0, Whitefish 9. Fouls — Polson 5, Whitefish 8. Cards — none.