Boys soccer ends season with win over Cats
A bumpy soccer season ended on a high note as the Whitefish boys blanked Columbia Falls 4-0 on Saturday in the regular season finale.
The victory revenged a tough loss at Columbia Falls earlier in the season. The difference this time came down to consistent effort from the opening whistle, said Whitefish coach John Lacey.
“We started strong and ended stronger,” Lacey said. “It was a marked difference from the first game in Columbia Falls when we were down two goals in the first five minutes. Our effort was there from the beginning and it showed.”
Senior Casey Ling scored in the 20th minute to give Whitefish a 1-0 lead at the half.
Avery Hirsch tallied in the 43rd minute and Ling added another in the 58th. Taisuke Matsuo capped the scoring in the 69th minute off an assist from Ling.
“If you don’t get into the playoffs, you hope to win your last game,” Lacey said of Saturday’s effort.
Whitefish also topped Bigfork earlier in the week for a Northern A victory. The Dogs end the season 3-8-1 overall and 2-5-1 in league play.
“We played good soccer at the end of the season,” Lacey said. “The boys felt really good about how they were playing — that’s important.”
He commended the seniors for their efforts in carrying a young squad all season.
“We needed our seniors to carry us because there was such a lack of experience on our roster,” Lacey said. “Walter Sobba did an outstanding job. Throughout the season, he never had a down time to his performance.”
The coach credited Ling’s effort and said he was rewarded with his big game against Columbia Falls.
Senior captain Sam Benkleman missed much of the year with injuries, Lacey noted, which played into the Dogs’ struggles at times.
“You can’t help but miss a player like Sam as a captain and a leader,” Lacey said. “It did have an impact on us.”
Looking toward next year, Lacey said the maturity gained this season by the underclassmen will pay off.
“There is a maturity they’ll bring to game one next year that they didn’t have this season,” he said. “High school soccer is different and you need to play it before you can fully understand the commitment that it takes to succeed. Teams will punish you if you don’t bring that level of commitment. We were starting as many as six sophomores out there this year. We can count on that experience next year, and we’re looking forward to that.”
Columbia Falls 0 0 — 0
Whitefish 1 3 — 4
W — Casey Ling (Alex Mazzonetto), 20:00
W — Avery Hirsch, 43:00
W — Ling, 58:00
W — Taisuke Matsuo (Ling), 69:00
Shots on goal — Columbia Falls 6, Whitefish 13; Goalie saves — Columbia Falls 8 (Brandon Karberg), Whitefish 6 (Marty Anderson); Corner kicks — Columbia Falls 0, Whitefish 4; Fouls — Columbia Falls 7, Whitefish 11; Cards — None.