Girls lose heartbreaker in OT

By DAVID ERICKSON / Whitefish Pilot

Playing without 10 varsity players, six of them starters, the defending state champion Lady Bulldogs lost a thriller in the 2007 state soccer game on Saturday, falling on the road to Belgrade, 1-2, in overtime.

"They did incredible, I have so much pride in everybody who got us to that game, and everyone who played" said head coach Lini Reading, who had one week, and three days of practice, to prepare a roster without one-third of her regular lineup. "Every single kid played that game like there was nothing to lose, and for some of them it was the first varsity minutes of their life, the state championship game. It was just amazing. Heart and determination go a long way."

Due to injuries, red cards and other disciplinary measures, the Lady Bulldogs, a young team with only two seniors to begin with, were forced to move six junior varsity players into the starting lineup. Several other veterans had to switch positions.

"I was so nervous, everybody was just jumping around," said Whitefish junior Kylee Smith, whose cousin, Lauren Hager, is a star for Belgrade. "We didn't know what was going to happen."

The two teams have a very competitive history. Whitefish beat Belgrade in a shootout last fall and went on to win the state title. Two years ago, Belgrade beat the Lady Bulldogs at home in the semifinals.

This time around, Belgrade took an early lead, with Hager getting an unassisted score in the 20th minute.

The Lady Bulldogs kept fighting, tying it up in the 56th minute on a goal by Carly Lengstorf, who took a pass from Hannah Long.

"Lengstorf took the pass from Hannah with her back to the goal, and she just turned fast, got a look and put it in the net," Reading said. "Carly has turned into a full-game player. Her moments of brilliance are getting longer."

The 1-1 deadlock would hold up for the rest of regulation time to force overtime, as the two squads fought for possession and played stingy defense. Freshman Callie Marsh, stepping into goalie position for Whitefish, had 10 saves.

"She was not known to come off her line a lot, but in this game, she went out and smothered the ball several times. She stepped up and played like a veteran," Reading said.

In the first 10-minute overtime period, Hager netted her second goal for Belgrade off a corner kick, giving her team a 2-1 lead.

The second 10-minute overtime period went scoreless. Reading said her girls just ran out of gas.

"We were on the sidelines going, 'If only we could freeze the world right now, and say, "There's only four minutes left, don't give up now,"'" Reading lamented. "But they had to be finished both physically and mentally."

To force a title game into overtime with only one senior on the field, Kaitlyn Sleichter, and six junior varsity players against an undefeated Belgrade team, is an accomplishment that Reading won't soon forget.

"Anytime you get that close, you think 'what could we have done'," she said. "But I told them, that although the scoreboard doesn't say it, you guys are all champions."

Reading couldn't say enough about her young players who stepped up to the pressure.

"(Sophomore) Becca Strellnaeur played 100 minutes of wing defense against the most prolific striker in the state, Jamie Green, and she didn't have a shot or an assist all game. Becca's face was so red it looked like a tomato ready to blow up, and she stayed with it."

Smith said even the Belgrade coaches and players said after the game how amazed they were with how well the Lady Bulldogs overcame adversity.

"It was almost surreal, I didn't expect us to not be good, but to get to (the state title game) after losing 12 seniors last year was amazing. I have to give credit to the upperclassmen for being supportive and keeping the kids with less experience positive," Reading said.

Junior midfielder Hannah Long said her team was running on adrenaline at the end.

"I was definately nervous, but we proved ourselves," she said. "I couldn't be happier. I'm more confident that we'll be doing alright next year."

Reading said her two assistants, Heather Hodges and Elizabeth Pitman, played a big role for the young team.

"What a treat for two former state champions to get there again coaching. They brought a lot of knowledge," she said.

Reading said she is optimistic about her squad's chances for the future.

"Those kids' willingness to be versatile for the team — three girls had to move to different positions — it bodes well for them," she said.