Ling hat trick rallies boys soccer
The season was slipping away. Trailing 3-1 in the first-round State A playoff match Saturday against Hamilton — the Bulldogs needed something heroic.
That’s when Casey Ling simply took over.
The junior striker scored three goals in the second half, including an impossible game-winner off a corner kick in the waning minutes to rally the top-seed Whitefish boys soccer team to a 4-3 victory and into the semifinals.
Ling netted the game-tying score in the 78th minute off a circus one-timer from 18 yards out that sailed past the reaching Hamilton goalkeeper.
A minute later, Ling bent in the game-winner on a corner kick. His cross attempt slowly curved untouched into the upper-right corner of the net.
“I had to keep the game going. I was closest to the corner so I mobbed over there, set the ball up and was waiting for everyone to get ready,” Ling said.
“Walter (Sobba) gave me the thumbs up. I looked at him, put my hand up and put it in (play). I thought, ‘Oh, that’s a terrible cross,’ and then it just went right into the goal.”
Ling thrust his fists into the air as he was swarmed by teammates. The celebration spilled over to the sideline after the final whistle a minute later.
“If you’re going to be a hero it might as well be a spectacular moment,” Whitefish coach O’Brien Byrd said. “We talked about being a hero all week and Casey Ling was certainly that. He saved us.”
The comeback ranks near the top of Byrd’s coaching career.
“It was one of the gustiest performances I’ve ever seen in high school sports,” Byrd said. “We had all the reasons in the world to lose and fold up, but they stayed steady and fought until the last second. It showed our true character.”
The Dogs dominated possession in the match, but the Broncs packed the box with as many as nine defenders, leaving Whitefish’s offensive weapons with no space to work.
“Hamilton caught us a little bit off guard to be honest,” Byrd said.
“I was expecting a team that was going to play possession soccer against us. They did something I didn’t think they would do and totally bunkered in and made it frustrating for us.”
Whitefish next travels to Belgrade for a semifinal grudge match on Saturday that pits a pair of No. 1 seeds against each other.
Byrd praises the Panthers as the top team in the state, but says the Dogs will be ready for the challenge.
“We’re excited to play a team that is very good,” Byrd said.
Belgrade beat Whitefish 3-1 early in the season. Byrd says his team has matured and changed since then.
“If we’re going to beat this team, there is no better time than now,” Byrd said. “But we’ll need the best game of our season.”
Hamilton 2 1 – 3
Whitefish 1 3 – 4
H – D. Feldmann (R Della Silvia) 13’
W – Jared Johnson (T. Edland) 17’
H – Feldmann (unassisted) 21’
H – Kyle Crossman (unassisted) 44’
W – Casey Ling (S. Heutmaker) 51’
W – Ling (unassisted) 78’
W – Ling (unassisted) 79’
Shots on goal –Hamilton2, Whitefish 23. Saves –Hamilton 23 (C. Ryter), Whitefish 2 (MartyAnderson). Corners –Hamilton0, Whitefish 12. Fouls –Hamilton5, Whitefish 4. Cards – None.