Vikes play best game through biggest loss

Sometimes with sports the outcome of a game doesn’t always reflect the way a team played.

And that is the case with the Bigfork boys soccer team and their last Thursday 5-0 loss to Whitefish, said head coach Keith Koslosky.

“Our best performance came out of our most lopsided score,” Koslosky said. “If they can capture the way they approached that game, they will be a force to be reckoned with.”

Koslosky said the Bulldogs are the toughest team they’ve played this season. They are the reigning Class A State Champions and haven’t lost a game yet this year, but the Vikes held their own for at least two-thirds of the game.

The reason for this is because the team had their head in the game, with energy, patience and focus.

“The level of the the competition has to be taken into consideration and this by far was the most physically, tactically and technically fast team we’ve faced,” Koslosky said. “A lot of good came out of this.”

Both offensively and defensively Bigfork played patiently, especially early in the game. Koslosky said the Vikes worked to find the passing lanes offensively and cut off the angles on defense. The Bulldog’s first scoring opportunity came halfway through the second half, when Curran Edland put in a shot from 30 yards out.

Bigfork’s big opportunities to put a couple away came in the second half, but the Vikes were unable to make it happen. Bigfork had two shots on frame and three corner kick scoring opportunities. Vike’s keeper Dillon Hilling made six saves for Bigfork.

“Matt Killian and Anthony Fopp have turned in what has become their typical great game,” Koslosky said. “Tyler (Zavala) and Kyle (Thompson) played as upper classman.”

Koslosky also said Wyatt Fisher, Steve Lyon, Jorge Zavala and Kegan Driver gave their best performance of the year.

As a team the Vikes just keep getting better and better. Koslosky said if the boys want to continue playing at the level they played at during the Whitefish game, they have to continue the rest of the season with the same intensity and focus they went into that game with.

The Vikes played out a home game against Columbia Falls on Tuesday as the Eagle went to press. Their next match is a Sept. 20 away game against Libby.

Tonight at 6 p.m. the self-funded Bigfork soccer teams are having a fundraising lasagna dinner at The Raven in Woods Bay for community night. The cost is $15 for lasagna, salad, bread and desert. All proceeds go to the soccer teams.