Boys lose heartbreaker to C-Falls

In the final 10 minutes of the game, the Columbia Falls boys scored three goals and crushed any hope Whitefish had of a Homecoming victory during the Wildcats 3-1 win over the Bulldogs Tuesday.

Tied 0-0 through most of the game, the Wildcats' Guy Smith scored in the 70th minute, followed three minutes later by Columbia Falls player Corey Pete.

With time running out, the Bulldogs increased the tempo of the game, moving more players to the top of the field. Down 2-0, Whitefish got a break when a foul was called inside the Wildcats' goal box, resulting in a successful penalty kick by Alex Konopatzke.

With minutes to go, not including stoppage time, the Bulldogs tried to even the score, but Columbia Falls' B.J. Stoneman put the game away with a goal in the last minutes.

"It was a big emotional game," said Wildcat head coach Peter Browne. "We need to settle down and score more goals, but we'll take the 'W.'"

After the game on the Whitefish sideline, Bulldog players huddled around head coach O'Brien Byrd, who had some words of encouragement for his players.

"It rarely comes out of my mouth when we're losing," Byrd said, "but I'm proud of you. Keep your heads ups."

Byrd cited defender Tyler Gardner and Whitefish goalie David Hobbs as influential players in the game. Hobbs finished the game with 13 saves.

The Bulldogs fell to 6-2-1 overall and 2-1-1 in the conference, while the Wildcats moved up to 6-1-2 overall and 3-0 in the conference. The Wildcats moved to first place in the North Conference. The last time the two teams played, the Wildcats defeated the Bulldogs 4-0. The two teams play again on Oct. 6.

On Saturday, Whitefish takes on Flathead at 8 p.m. in Kalispell.

Last Saturday, the Whitefish boys soccer team shut out Stevensville 3-0 in a game where the Bulldogs and the Yellowjackets fouled each other 48 times.