Whitefish soccer blanks Vikings
Whitefish added a touch of Brazilian flair to its roster Thursday in Bigfork, and with it came a much-needed offensive spark.
Marcelo Theodoro, an exchange student from Brazil, tallied a hat trick against the Vikings to lead Whitefish to a 5-0 conference win — their first conference game of the season. The victory comes on the tails of a tough 6-4 loss last week to Laurel.
"Marcelo is a JV guy, and he's been coming along nicely," Whitefish soccer coach O'Brien Byrd said. "We had some injuries with three guys sitting out and decided to put him up top."
It worked out nicely, Byrd said, as Theodoro accounted for goals in the 34th, 48th and 80th minutes.
"He's never played organized soccer in his life," Byrd said. "But he's played a ton of street and beach soccer. He has great individual skills, but struggles at reading the game."
Byrd hopes the senior continues to develop and finds a place on the varsity roster.
Curran Edland added to the score in the 50th minute on what could be one of the plays of the season. The sophomore took a one-timer from Sam Donaldson and crushed it from 30 yards out to the upper corner, putting Whitefish up 3-0.
Jack Steele followed with a goal in the 74th minute before Theodoro capped the scoring.
It was an offensive show, but defense ruled the day at Bigfork, Byrd said. Whitefish didn't allow a shot on goal the entire match, as the defensive line and keeper Chance Ling scored a shutout.
"Defensively, we are much more sound and organized," he said. "Winning the first conference game is definitely nice for us. We're looking to improve on the last game, and we're excited to show vast improvement from Laurel."
The 'Dogs' road to the playoffs took a turn this week when rival Columbia Falls announced they will forfeit the season after a majority of the team was suspended for violating the school's alcohol policy. The incident took place during the Cats' road trip to Livingston and Belgrade.
Whitefish and all other league teams will be awarded wins for the forfeited matches. Bigfork, which tied Columbia Falls 0-0 earlier this season, keeps the tie and gets a win for the upcoming game.
All teams scheduled to play Columbia Falls will be allowed to fill the voids in the schedule with other teams, Montana High School Association executive director Mark Beckman explained. Whitefish will play Stillwater in both instances.
With four teams left in the league fighting for three playoff births, only one team will miss out.
"There's a little less pressure on us, but we're still shooting for the No. 1 seed," Byrd said. "Libby, Polson and Bigfork, that's their goal as well. It will make for a state playoff atmosphere in those matches."
Whitefish next hosts Polson Saturday at 1 p.m.
Whitefish 1 4 - 5
Bigfork 0 0 - 0
W - Marcelo Theodoro (Mark Stormes), 34:00
W - Theodoro, 48:00
W - Curran Edland (Sam Donaldson), 50:00
W - Jack Steele, 74:00
W - Theodoro (Steele), 80:00
Shots on goal - Whitefish 16, Bigfork 0. Saves - Whitefish 0 (Chance Ling), Bigfork 11 (Nate Roberson). Corner kicks - Whitefish 6, Bigfork 2. Total fouls - Whitefish 10, Bigfork 3. Yellow cards - Whitefish 1, Bigfork 1. Red cards - none..