Bulldog boys soccer sets sights on playoff run
It’s a young group for the Bulldogs on the pitch this year, but head coach John Lacey is optimistic his group has a strong season in store.
“It’s going to be a good group. We are still a young team, well over half the team is freshmen or sophomores, but we have lots of experienced players at the senior and junior level,” he said. “In terms of their soccer and technical abilities, it’s an extremely advanced group.”
The Bulldogs took to the practice field Aug. 11 and will get started with competitive play Tuesday against Bigfork.
With such a young group, Lacey said the focus has been on getting his freshmen and sophomores where they need to be physically.
It’s not about pretending his younger players can be forced into another style, he said, but rather to take advantage of the skill set they have and match that to the physical style of the varsity level.
“We’re still young, nothings going to change a 15-year-old into an 18-year-old, so they need to get used to playing with the skill and ability that they have,” he said.
This year’s team returns some of last year’s key players, including Avery Hirsch, Xander Burger and Noah Romagnuolo. Seniors on the team include Hirsch, Quinten and Eli Joos, Tait Workman and Romagnuolo.
Colter Upton is taking charge of the net, filling shoes left by all-conference goalkeeper Marty Anderson, who graduated in the spring.
Though the Bulldogs returned to the playoffs last year, they made a swift first-round exit, a hurdle Lacey said the team hopes to get past this season.
“We’ve all looked at this year as one where we want to be more than just a one-and-done in the playoffs,” he said. “I told the boys, ‘We’re going have to earn everything we get, we’re not going to get handed anything.’ I think it’s realistic for us to think about advancing through playoffs more than just making it there.”
Lacey said the biggest improvement from last year to help that cause will be scoring more goals.
To compete against top-tier teams like Billings Central, who took down the Dogs 7-0 in two separate matches last year, his players will need to get points on the board.
“Last year we did not score enough goals, and goals win games. So there’s been a lot of emphasis on being more clinical and smarter on the attack,” he said.
The Bulldogs are slated to take on Bigfork Tuesday, though last year’s match up was canceled after Bigfork couldn’t fill out a varsity roster.
Lacey said he hopes his team can get that first match in before taking on Belgrade, Billings Central and Laurel — all powerhouses — in the coming weeks.
“We’ll have some early season tests for sure when we travel to Belgrade, they’re the defending state champions,” he noted. “We’re hoping to get a much better showing against them.”
For the complete Bulldogs schedule and roster, visit http://whitefishschools.org/whsactivities/athletics/boysoccer.html.