Rams edge Whitefish for 10th girls title
Whitefish senior Katie Benkelman works to keep the ball away from a Billings Central defender during the second half of the State A final at Smith Fields on Saturday, Oct. 29. (Whitney England/Whitefish Pilot)
WHITEFISH — Some lessons in life are harder to learn than others but will serve you better in the end. Saturday was one of those times for the Whitefish Bulldogs in the State A girls soccer final at Smith Fields.
Billings Central claimed the crown with a 2-1 victory, the powerhouse Rams’ 10th overall title.
There were, understandably, many tearful faces on the Whitefish side after the game ended.
“We get wrapped up in wins and losses and it's about being successful, becoming a better person from it and learning through experiences,” Whitefish coach Roland Benedict said. “They're gonna learn more from this moment than they will the rest of their lives. The experiences you have now make you a better person when you move on.”
Lauren Dull hit the late dagger that erased any hope of overtime that may have lingered.
“I don't think we deserved to lose the game,” Benedict said. “I think we did enough to maybe push it to overtime. I think we needed a little more time to create some chances, but we had them penned in in the second half.
“I don't think they're a better team than us by any means, but it's a good team. There can be one little half, half chance, half moment and, you know, they can capitalize on it.”
Whitefish had life after Brooke Roberts tied the game 1-1 in the second half and goalkeeper Norah Schmidt stood tall in net to hold up the score. Roberts’ shot went in from about 20 yards.
Suddenly the Bulldogs were back in it, until Dull’s tally.
“The first half we played well, we controlled the ball well,” Benedict said. “We weren't as dangerous as we wanted to be."
Schmidt made a miscalculation on Dull’s shot, which went in the far corner of the net.
“She holds herself to a high standard and she felt she should have saved both of them,” Benedict said. “That's a learning experience. She’s the best goalkeeper in the state.”
Whitefish finished the season 12-1-2.
“I think we're the better soccer team,” Benedict said. “I don't know if we did enough today to earn the right to say that we should have won, but I think we're the better soccer team, and that's no slight against Billings."
Billings Central 1 1 — 2
Whitefish 0 1 — 1
BC - Abby Derbyshire
WF - Brooke Roberts
BC - Lauren Dull