Soccer fights for playoff spot
Chris Peterson / Hungry Horse News Denver Dicks sprints by a Wildcat defender during Thursday night’s 2-0 loss in Columbia Falls.
Two late goals from the Wildcats were the deciding factor in a close 2-0 loss for the Bulldogs Thursday night.
The match remained scoreless well into the second half, until Jon Sigurdsson and Logan Stephens nailed two goals in the 60th and 65th minutes. It was a tough offensive night for Whitefish, and the Bulldogs only managed three shots on goal compared to Columbia Falls’ 14.
Coach John Lacey called the match “a close one.”
“It hurt a little bit,” he said. “We hung in there and I thought we were going to be able to maintain it, but unfortunately they just broke through at the end. I thought we did a great job. It was an exciting atmosphere, certainly one tilted in Columbia Falls’ favor with senior night, homecoming, all those things so we went in and really focused on our game.”
Improving the team’s scoring remains the top priority for Lacey after another solid defensive effort fell through because the Dogs couldn’t score.
“It was frustrating that we didn’t get on the scoreboard again. It’s hard to win games when you don’t score goals. You just can’t do it. So we need to find a way to consistently threaten and put the ball in the net,” he said.
The Bulldogs then took down Stillwater Christian School 3-2 on Friday afternoon. Xander Burger, Ian Lacey and Cody Brandt all scored for Whitefish in the nonconference matchup. The Dogs led Stillwater in shots on goal 12 to eight.
Whitefish (4-6-0) was set to play Polson on Tuesday and will cap off their season with a match against Libby on Saturday at home at noon. A potential playoff spot hangs in the balance during the games. The Bulldogs are currently third in Northwest A play behind Columbia Falls and Polson, and Libby sits behind at fourth.
A win against Libby should secure an extra match for Whitefish in the first round of the playoffs. Lacey said there’s still plenty of work to be done, though.
“We need some results. If we’re going to advance through we have to score some goals. So I think that’s going to be an emphasis, really focusing on the final third,” he said. “We’re not going to have too many games where we face the likes of what Columbia Falls threw at us. They have some outstanding attackers, speed and skill and they really put us under pressure. So I think our defense has grown from matches like that.”
Whitefish 0 0 — 0
Columbia Falls 0 2 — 2
CF — Jon Sigurdsson (Jakob Grein), 60:00
CF — Logan Stephens (Sigurdsson), 65:00
Shots on goal — Whitefish 3, Columbia Falls 14. Saves — Whitefish 14 (Marty Anderson), Columbia Falls 3 (Brandon Karberg) . Corner kicks — Whitefish 3, Columbia Falls 7. Fouls — Whitefish 5, Columbia Falls 8. Cards — Columbia Falls, 1 yellow.
Stillwater 1 1 — 2
Whitefish 1 2 — 3
S — Isaac Neumann, 9:00
W — Xander Burger (Cody Brandt), 20:00
S — Zac King, penalty kick, 55:00
W — Ian Lacey (Quinten Joos), 65:00
W — Brandt (Eli Joos), 77:00
Shots on goal — Stillwater 8, Whitefish 12. Saves — Stillwater 9 (Zack Basnett), Whitefish 7 (Marty Anderson 2, Colter Upton 5). Corner kicks — Stillwater 1, Whitefish 8. Fouls — Stillwater 2, Whitefish 8. Cards — Whitefish, 1 yellow.