Bulldogs breeze by Lone Peak in first round of playoffs
Bulldog midfielder Aaron Dicks takes on Lone Peak's goalkeeper which led to Whitefish scoring their first goal of the game during a quarterfinal playoff match Saturday at Smith Fields. (Whitney England/Whitefish Pilot)
Whitefish senior Brandon Mendoza gets Lone Peak's defenders on their heels as he scores in the first half of a quarterfinal playoff match Saturday morning. (Whitney England/Whitefish Pilot)
Bulldog senior Marvin Kimera sprints to catch up with a ball that broke through Lone Peak's defense in a quarterfinal playoff match Saturday morning at Smith Fields. (Whitney England/Whitefish Pilot)
Whitefish senior captain Joshua Gunderson advances the ball upfield against Lone Peak in a quarterfinal playoff match Saturday morning. Gunderson made his return to the lineup after an injury sidelined him over the last few weeks. (Whitney England/Whitefish Pilot)
The Bulldogs posted another clean sheet while scoring three goals on their way to beating Lone Peak 3-0 in a Class A soccer quarterfinal match Saturday at Smith Fields.
It was another win added to Whitefish’s undefeated game streak, and the Bulldogs continued to play their fluid style of soccer.
“I thought the boys really moved the ball well, created lots of good chances as it looked like us the whole time,” Bulldog head coach John Lacey said.
Although Whitefish (11-0-1) came out of the gate dictating the play and dominating possession time on the ball, the Bulldogs struggled to finish their shots early on. It wasn’t until the 30th minute, just after Lacey inserted a few guys off his bench to provide some fresh legs, when Whitefish finally got on the board.
Bulldog midfielder Aaron Dicks took the ball straight at Lone Peak’s goalkeeper Michael Romney. After ricocheting off the keeper’s gloves it landed at the feet of Whitefish freshman Collin Lyman who was in the perfect position to tap the ball in the goal behind Romney.
According to Lacey, Lyman, along with many of Whitefish’s reserve players, know that when they enter the game it’s their 10 minutes, or so, to boost the team and make a difference. And that’s exactly what Lyman did on Saturday.
“Collin made a great contribution, we’ve had guys doing that all year long when they get their chance they can work extra hard because they’re not being asked to do it for a whole game,” Lacey said. “They recognize that, again our future is important to us… but in the moment they have a limited job and they embrace that role. It’s pretty powerful for everybody, we love it.”
Just two minutes later Bulldog senior Marvin Kimera made a beautiful run and, off a feed from fellow senior Brandon Mendoza, kept his shot low to the far post to put his team up 2-0. Before the half ended, Mendoza, who is Whitefish’s leading goal scorer, brought down a cross from Gabe Menicke to net one of his own in the 39th minute.
After halftime, Lacey gave credit to Lone Peak as they made some adjustments to better match what Whitefish was bringing to the field. The Bulldogs didn’t score again in the game, but had several good chances.
“Lone Peak had a strong game, their keeper played outstanding,” Lacey said. “He’s obviously a strength to their team throughout the whole season and a very good player.”
Romney, Lone Peak’s goalkeeper, had 18 saves in the game. But Lacey was also impressed with his own back line and keepers.
“It was really affirming to see our defense play well and in particular both goalkeepers, Will Peppmeier and Joe Brandt each half stepped forward with big moments,” Lacey said. “So that was great to see, we really care about keeping other teams at zero.”
The boys now look ahead to the semifinal game against Corvallis this weekend. Whitefish hasn’t seen the Blue Devils since last season, and Lacey acknowledged that he is positive Corvallis is going to bring their best game to this playoff matchup.
Recently the Blue Devils won a play-in game over Loyola and the quarterfinal game versus Park High in a shootout fashion.
“I’m sure they’re confident,” Lacey said. “And they should be, I mean they’re peaking at the right time. So we’re fully expecting to get a strong team that can come up here and, if we don’t play well, can knock us off.”
However no matter the opponent, the weather or any other factors that might come up, Lacey said it’s up to Whitefish to do what is necessary to win. And the goal remains the same — successfully make it through all three post-season matches.
“Big picture, we’re going to continue to focus on our soccer…” he said. “We’re looking forward to it for sure. Everybody’s play gets a little faster and stuff gets better when the stakes go up like this, so it will be a fun match.”
The Bulldogs host Corvallis at Smith Fields on Saturday at noon.
Lone Peak 0 0 — 0
Whitefish 3 0 — 3
WF - Collin Lyman (Aaron Dicks), 30:00
WF - Marvin Kimera (Brandon Mendoza), 32:00
WF - Mendoza (Gabe Menicke), 39:00
Shots on goal - Lone Peak 4, Whitefish 21. Goalie saves - Lone Peak 18 (Michael Romney), Whitefish 1 (Will Peppmeier, Joseph Brandt). Corner kicks - Lone Peak 0, Whitefish 7. Fouls - Lone Peak 6, Whitefish 9.