Bulldogs even after two matches

It's only two games into the season, and already the Bulldogs soccer club has seen both sides of a rout.

Whitefish opened the season Friday with a stellar 7-1 win at Stevensville, but followed that by taking a 4-0 thumping from a top-notch Sandpoint, Idaho club.

Yet, as Whitefish coach O'Brien Byrd noted, these nonconference games aren't about winning or losing, but about assessing a team's weaknesses and strengths.

"It's good to finally get the first game under the belt," Byrd said. "It was our first test. We never know what to work on until game time. Now, we're able to talk about what we need to do to get better."

At Stevensville, it appeared that all systems were on as Whitefish racked up six goals in the opening half. Matty McCrone started with a goal in the 12th minute and Sam Donaldson quickly followed by finding the net in the 15th minute. He also scored in the 35th minute.

Curran Edland, Jack Steele, Taylor Thompson and Nathan Boone each added scores.

"It was a good runabout," Byrd said of the match. "We scored seven goals and we're happy about that, but we still have a ton to work on."

The next day, Whitefish hosted a talent Sandpoint club and struggled to keep pace with one of Idaho's best teams in a 4-0 loss.

Sandpoint's standout striker, Tanner Williams, scored two goals in the opening half and dominated the pace of play with his outstanding touch. Whitefish couldn't keep him contained and Williams made them pay with two solid strikes on goal.

"We can't play zone against a player like that," Byrd said. "We let him through on a couple of occasions and he finished his chances. I don't know if we'll see another player that talented in Montana this year."

The coach said Sandpoint's goals mostly came down to missed defensive assignments.

"We have to be disappointed with our man marking," he said. "We needed to show [Williams' more respect."

Despite what the scoreboard showed at the final whistle, Byrd noted that the game was much closer.

"It was a lot more evenly matched than that," he said. We had the ball just as much."

In fact, Whitefish outshot Sandpoint 8-7, which likely exposes one of the team's weaknesses early in the season.

"We created chances, and that's the hard part," Byrd said. "We couldn't score though. We need to work on some finishing. We had quite a few close range chances."

At the 15-minute mark, the Bulldogs had an open goal after a corner kick sneaked through the defense, but Sandpoint cleared the ball to end the threat. In the 40th minute, senior Steele had a clean break at the net and nearly beat the keeper with a shot to the left corner, but it sailed just wide.

Byrd acknowledged the play of midfielder Taylor Thompson, noting he didn't get a sub the entire game.

"He worked tirelessly," Byrd said. "Taylor put in a tremendous shift for us and did all the dirty work."

A positive from the loss, Byrd said, is that these early non-conference games are irrelevant come playoff time. He says he likes playing tough teams like Sandpoint on the front half of the schedule and will likely schedule a meeting with them next season.

"If you're looking to grow, you need to be tested," Byrd said.

The 'Dogs have two big tests again this weekend when they face defending state champion Billings Central and a strong team from Laurel.

"It's back-to-back tests for us," Byrd said.

The Billings Central game is slated for 6 p.m. on Friday and Laurel is at 10 a.m. Saturday.

Whitefish 6 1 - 7

Stevensville 0 1 - 1

WF - Matty McCrone, 12:00

WF - Sam Donaldson (McCrone), 15:00

WF - Curran Edland (Taylor Thompson), 24:00

WF - Jack Steele (Thompson), 28:00

WF - Donaldson (Steele), 35:00

WF - Thompson, 40:00

S - Wes Porter (Cody Cook), 41:00

WF - Nathan Boone (McCrone), 74:0

Shots on goal - Whitefish 13, Stevensville 4. Saves - Whitefish 3, Stevensville 11 (JJ O'Bannon 11). Corner kicks - Whitefish 9, Stevensville 2. Total fouls - Whitefish 6, Stevensville 6.

Sandpoint 2 2 - 4

Whitefish 0 0 - 0

S - Tanner Williams, 14:00

S - Williams, 24:00

S - Shane Stanley, 48:00

S - Joab Logan, 78:00

Shots on goal - Sandpoint 7, Whitefish 8. Saves - Sandpoint 8 (Kanyen Bayer), Whitefish 4 (Thomas Clark). Corner kicks - Sandpoint 6, Whitefish 4. Total fouls - Sandpoint 25, Whitefish 3. Yellow cards - Sandpoint 1, Whitefish 1. Red cards - none.