Late goals lift Central over Whitefish in semis
A back and forth battle simply slipped away from the Lady Bulldogs on Saturday at a State A semifinal soccer match at Billings Central.
Whitefish’s 3-2 advantage at halftime vanished in the final 10 minutes as the Lady Rams punched in a trio of goals to claim a tough 5-3 victory at Rocky Mountain College. Central moves on to face Laurel in the championship, while Whitefish is left wondering what more they could have done to finally knock off their nemesis.
“Central is a great team,” Whitefish coach Roland Benedict said. “They possess the ball really well. It’s tough to hold a team like that scoreless for so long. We held as much as we could.”
Haley Nicholson scored Whitefish’s first goal at 21 minutes to tie up the match at 1-1.
Central quickly regained the lead, but Melissa Pollard put Whitefish back on top 3-2 with back-to-back goals just five minutes apart. Pollard scored with her left foot from the top of the penalty box, then made a 45-yard run for a tap-in score off a rebounding shot.
Central came into the match having allowed just four goals on the season.
“Credit to our team, when we’re firing on all cylinders we can play with the best and beat the best in the state,” Benedict said. “Central got flustered. They ran into a team that knows how to play the game.”
Benedict said his team struggled to shift pace after Central tied the match at 3-3 in the 70th minute.
“We got a little nervous and didn’t want to lose,” he said.
He said the girls were disappointed in the outcome, “but held their heads high at the end of the game.”
Whitefish goalkeeper Kess Nelson did all she could to keep the Dogs alive, making 14 saves on Central’s 22 shots on goal.
“She made a couple of saves that not a lot of keepers can make — true saves,” Benedict said. “Without her we wouldn’t be up at halftime.”
The coach said Pollard “was our main threat on the field today” with two goals and an assist.
“She took her game up two or three levels,” Benedict said. “She was all over the field for us.”
Nicholson wrapped up her outstanding season with a state-best 31 goals and 11 assists. Julia Houston tallied eight goals and five assists on the season, while Pollard ended the year with five goals and seven assists. All three juniors will return for next season.
Benedict commended his three seniors in Cassidy Grady, Haley Burger and Anna Peterson.
“It’s a tough way to end a season, but we were one of the last teams standing in the final four,” Benedict said. “It’s a long lasting accomplishment they should be proud of.”
Whitefish finishes the season 10-4-1 overall.
Whitefish 3 0 — 3
Billings Central 2 3 — 5
BC — Mariah Wittman (Jill Hardenbrook), 19:00
W — Haley Nicholson (Melissa Pollard), 21:00
BC — Olivia Hanser (Hardenbrook), 31:00
W — Pollard (Julia Houston), 32:00
W — Pollard (Nicholson), 37:00
BC — Hardenbrook (Michaela Stock), 70:00
BC — Wittman (Olivia Hanser), 74:00
BC — Wittman, 79:00
Shots on goal — Whitefish 6, Billings Central 22; Gaolie saves: Whitefish 14 (Kess Nelson), Billings Central 4 (Venton Arce); Corner kicks — Whitefish 2, Billings Central 4; Fouls — Whitefish 7, Billings Central 6; Cards — None.