Boys soccer gets shutout at Libby
Whitefish’s boys soccer team is clinging to the top spot in the Northwest A after a tie and win in conference play last week.
The Bulldogs tied Polson 2-2 on Sept. 16 in a grudge match.
The Pirates hit first at 17 minutes. The Dogs regained the lead 2-1 off back-to-back goals by Shanoah Montano.
Polson, however, was able to hit the equalizer just before the half on a free kick.
Both teams were scoreless in the second half.
Whitefish coach O’Brien Byrd said his team wasn’t focused in the tie.
“Polson frustrated us,” he said. “This team so far does great as long as we don’t get frustrated. We start going with ‘plan Z’ instead of sticking with the plan. We need to stick to our guns even when we get frustrated.”
Saturday, the Dogs rebounded with a 4-0 win at Libby. It was the first shutout of the season for Whitefish.
Montano scored in the 26th minute to start the rout.
Casey Ling assisted Scott March four minutes later to give Whitefish the 2-0 lead at halftime.
Avery Hirsh hit the net at 44 minutes and Marsh scored again at 51 minutes to cap the win.
Whitefish played Bigfork on Tuesday.
They host rival Columbia Falls on Saturday night at 7 p.m. in a homecoming match under the lights at Memorial Stadium.
“It’s a hugely important night for all the teams,” Byrd said. “It’s a delicious rivalry — mouth watering. You never play harder than when you play against your friends.”
Whitefish 2 2 – 4
Libby 0 0 – 0
W – Shanoah Montano (unassisted), 26:00
W – Scott Marsh (Casey Ling), 30:00
W – Avery Hirsh (Ling), 44:00
W – Scott Marsh (Jared Johnson), 51:00
Shots on goal – Whitefish 11, Libby 7. Saves – Whitefish 6 (Sam Benkelman), Libby 5 (Jacob Wood). Corner kicks – Whitefish 5, Libby 5. Total fouls –Whitefish 9, Libby 10. Cards – Libby: yellow, Bohdan Yakavenko.
Polson 2 0 – 2
Whitefish 2 0 – 2
P – Alex Helgeson, 17:00
W – Shanoah Montano (Jared Johnson), 37:00
W – Montano (Quinten Joos), 38:00
P – Mike Mercer (free kick), 40:00
Shots on goal – Polson 2, Whitefish 8. Saves – Polson 8 (Trevor Basler), Whitefish 2 (Sam Benkelman). Corner kicks – Polson 1, Whitefish 5. Total fouls –Polson 13, Whitefish 9. Cards – none.