Bulldog soccer delivers shutout to Stevensville

Whitefish boys soccer recorded another shutout and stayed undefeated after taking down Stevensville 2-0 last Thursday.

The defending State A champions improved to 3-0 on the season, although Stevensville gave the Bulldogs a good challenge. Whitefish head coach John Lacey said the Yellowjackets are much improved from last season when his team defeated them 10-2 in the playoffs.

Both teams went scoreless throughout the first half and it wasn’t until the 63rd minute that Bulldog leading scorer Brandon Mendoza netted one off an assist from Gabe Menicke. Just 10 minutes later, Menicke scored a goal of his own assisted by Niath Edland to give Whitefish a comfortable 2-0 lead.

“The boys played well, but we again continue to be hounded a little bit by lack of finishing in front of the net,” Lacey said. “We left a lot of goals out there again this week after having plenty of chances.”

Against Stevensville, the Bulldogs spent most of the game in their opponents box. Lacey said his players were making the right plays and getting the ball where they want it, however the final touch was just not there.

The Yellowjackets had a few good chances on the attack according to Lacey, but the Whitefish backline led by Ian Grover quickly diminished the scoring opportunities. Although the Bulldogs are pretty accustomed to winning games by scoring a plethora of goals, the team is glad to see its defense stepping up.

“We’re really proud of the fact that our defense is continuing to hold up; two out of three games are shutouts and that’s something to be proud of no matter who we play,” Lacey said.

The coach also mentioned he was impressed not only by his defense, but that Edland had an outstanding game in the midfield as well.

This week the Bulldogs were set to play Bigfork on Tuesday, but that game was canceled due to poor air quality conditions. They also take on cross-valley rival Columbia Falls Thursday evening at 5 p.m. when they visit their familiar foe.

“We’re looking forward to this week, two games are two opportunities to keep building,” Lacey said. “The games against Columbia Falls, especially as of late, have just been great games. They’re close, they test us and we have to be sharp in order to get a result.”

Whitefish 0 2 — 2

Stevensville 0 0 — 0

WF - Brandon Mendoza (Gabe Menicke), 63:00

WF- Menicke, (Niath Edland), 74:00