'Dogs secure top seed in playoffs

Whitefish Pilot

It was no time to hunker down.

The Whitefish boys soccer team went on the offensive Saturday against Libby, posting five unanswered goals on the defending state champs, while en route to sealing up a top seed for the state class A playoffs.

"I've always been reluctant to bunker in at any time," Bulldog coach O'Brien Byrd said. "The minute you take your foot off the gas, you give your opponent a chance to come at you.

"We went to the state champs' home field and beat them 5-0. What great momentum going into the playoffs."

With the win, the 'Dogs moved from third in the conference to first, and secured the team the right to play at home throughout their postseason run.

"It's a huge advantage being able to play at home," Byrd said about the importance of locking up the number-one seed. "It's our turf. We practice there everyday."

They open the playoffs against ? on Saturday.

The Bulldogs knew before the game against Libby that if they wanted a piece of the playoff picture, they had to either beat or tie the Loggers. Polson won a game against Bigfork earlier in the day, forcing Whitefish into a can't-lose situation.

The Bulldogs quickly seized the momentum in the match when forward Anto Daoud found the net in the ninth minute.

The 'Dogs offense was pressing Libby's back line, which was putting their goalie under pressure. The Loggers attempted to clear the ball from their penalty box, but a miss hit deflected to Joel Bacher. Bacher crossed the ball back into the box and Daoud delivered the goal.

"It all happened in about five seconds," Byrd said of the opening score. "It was the pressure that created the opportunity."

"Libby's crowd is raucous," Byrd said. "They had the chainsaws out. It was loud and a little intimidating. That first goal quieted them down."

Jon Reimer booted the second goal of the game at the 24-minute mark off a pass from Travis Adams to put Whitefish up 2-0 going into halftime.

The 'Dogs ran away with the game in the second period behind goals from Daoud, Jack Steele and Curran Edland.

Despite the score, the teams played evenly for most of the game. It was the 'Dogs' solid defense that kept the Loggers attempts on goal at bay — led by a career game from goalkeeper Alex Whitaker.

"Alex played the game of his life," Byrd said. "Before the game, when we were warming up and taking shots, he was stopping everything. I told the other coaches not to talk to him because he was in the zone."

Whitaker tallied 13 saves in the shutout effort.

Byrd also applauded the defensive unit of Matt Danczyk, Tanner Hosek, John Joern and Taylor Thompson for shutting down the Loggers offense.

"The back line was super compact and they really kept us in the game," Byrd said. "Most of our offense started from the back."

Byrd says the confidence gained from the win against Libby will be a big advantage in their first-round playoff match and that, for the first time this season, he sees a spark in his players' eyes.

"I see the look that they want a state championship bad, and I believe it," he said.

Whitefish 9, Columbia Falls 2

The box score from White-fish's 9-2 win over Columbia Falls on Oct. 8 is somewhat deceiving.

Despite what the final scoreboard read, the over-matched Wildcats went toe-to-toe with the Bulldogs soccer team for the first 60 minutes of the rival match — giving Whitefish the biggest scare of their season.

Losing to Columbia Falls would have all but eliminated Whitefish from playoff contention, and tied 2-2 going into the half, the winless 'Cats found themselves with a chance to play spoiler.

"We knew we had to win that game to have a chance in the playoffs," Byrd said. "Columbia Falls gave us a scrap."

Still knotted up halfway through the second period, Byrd called on his senior forward, Travis Adams, to provide the spark they needed to put the game away.

Adams — the team's leading scorer — sat out the first half to rest a sore hamstring.

"I told him (Adams' before the game, 'If things get hairy, I'm going to throw you in there,'" Byrd said. "When the kids saw Travis getting ready to go in, they picked up the intensity."

Bacher opened the scoring floodgate for the Bulldogs off a pass from Steele, and seven minutes later, Adams found the net off a pass from Joern.

The rout was on.

Whitefish tacked on another five goals in the final 20 minutes and the Bulldogs escaped a tight match with a seven-point victory.

Whitefish tallied 25 shots on goal in the game while Columbia Falls posted three.