Barron’s four goals lead to Lady Bulldog playoff victory
Whitefish's Emma Barron crosses the ball into Park High's box during a quarterfinal playoff game Saturday at Smith Fields. Barron scored four goals in the game to lift Whitefish over the Rangers 5-1. (Whitney England/Whitefish Pilot)
Whitefish freshman Maeve Ingelfinger takes on a Park High defender during a quarterfinal playoff game Saturday at Smith Fields. (Whitney England/Whitefish Pilot)
Whitefish senior Ali Hirsch gets a shot off under pressure from a Park High defender in a quarterfinal playoff match Saturday afternoon at Smith Fields. (Whitney England/Whitefish Pilot)
Whitefish junior Emma Barron piled on three first-half goals within a range of about 11 minutes to give the Lady Bulldogs a comfortable, early lead over the Livingston Rangers in a Class A quarterfinal match Saturday at Smith Fields.
Whitefish went on to maintain its advantage, winning 5-1 over the visiting Rangers. Whitefish head coach Roland Benedict said an issue his team has struggled with all year is finishing the chances they created. But that wasn’t a hold up in this match with the girls creating 21 shots and netting five of them.
“With the Livingston game, I think hopefully we’re peaking at the right time with our finishing and getting into the playoffs,” Benedict said. “I was just happy that we played a team, played them at home in cold weather and produced a great result with some good goals.”
Barron got the scoring off to a great start in the 14th minute with a beautiful shot that ricocheted off the far post into the goal assisted by Whitefish senior Ali Hirsch. Just six minutes later Barron again found herself with the ball and Livingston gave her too much room as she scored on a breakaway. To cap her hat trick, Barron took care of a free kick just outside of Livingston’s box in the 25th minute.
The Rangers cracked Whitefish’ defense once as Livingston’s Hailey Smith scored in the 36th minute, but the Bulldogs remained in control for the majority of the opening period.
Despite the goals, Benedict actually wasn’t all that impressed with his team’s first half. He said they had to fix some simple errors that normally are not an issue with this team, and once they did that the second half took care of itself.
“We scored three goals in the first half and only two in the second, but we were much more comprehensive in our chance creation in the second half,” he explained. “And a little more secure in ball possession and play than we were in the first period.”
Bulldog Olivia Genovese scored off a beautiful assist from Adrienne Healy in the 42nd minute to get the second half started off right and Barron added one more goal on a penalty kick after a Livingston player was called for a handball inside the box.
Benedict said he switched up Barron’s positioning to play up top in this game and it appears to have paid off. She was Whitefish’s leading scorer going into the game and playing as a forward allowed her even more chances to find the net.
“She strikes a fantastic ball, we just used her in other areas and had players that were very specific player profiles to play up top,” Benedict said. “But I finally after last week’s training decided to play her in that role and she excelled.”
“She’s a very talented player and gives a lot to our team that not many players in the state can. She plays at a different level than most… and she’s a blessing to have on the team,” he added.
With the victory the Lady Bulldogs remain undefeated, 10-0-1 and advance into the semifinal round where they will face a top Class A team Billings Central.
Last year Whitefish lost in the semifinal round to Billings Central by a wide margin, 7-0. This is a different team though and Benedict said if his team can keep its mindset right, they have a great chance of winning.
“I think this is the team and group of gals that I’ve had that can do something really special this year if we can perform for two halves and put our chances away — it’s going to be a battle,” he said. “(Billings Central) has a really storied program, I think the biggest thing for our team is coming in with the mentality that you can win.”
Benedict said they will alter a few things tactically to counter the way Billings sets up their formation, but they have to put in the work come match day.
Billings Central posts a record of 7-1-1, its only loss coming earlier this month when the Rams dropped a game to the Eastern A top-seed Laurel, 2-1.
“I think if (Whitefish) can get that mentality and prepare themselves for that, the sky’s the limit for this group,” Benedict said.
Whitefish will host the Billings Central Rams on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Smith Fields.
Livingston 1 0 — 1
Whitefish 3 2 — 5
W - Emma Barron (Ali Hirsch) 14:00
W - Barron, 20:00
W - Barron, 25:00
L - Hailey Smith, 36:00
W - Olivia Genovese (Adrienne Healy), 42:00
W - Barron, 51:00
Shots on goal - Livingston 7, Whitefish 21. Goalie saves - Livingston 13 (Ava Braham), Whitefish 6 (Sami Galbraith). Corner kicks - Livingston 4, Whitefish 7. Fouls - Livingston 18, Whitefish 9.