Bulldog soccer continues to dominate on pitch
Whitefish freshman Ryder Elliot nutmegs a Stevensville defender on his way to goal in a game at Smith Fields on Thursday, Sept. 24. Elliot scored in the 70th minute on the Bulldogs way to an 8-1 victory. (Whitney England/Whitefish Pilot)
Bulldog midfielder Gabe Menicke beats his defender down the line as he looks for the cross in a game against Stevensville at Smith Fields on Thursday, Sept. 24. (Whitney England/Whitefish Pilot)
Whitefish freshman forward Collin Lyman lines up a hard shot on goal during a game against Stevensville at Smith Fields on Thursday, Sept. 24. (Whitney England/Whitefish Pilot)
Whitefish forwards Brandon Mendoza and Marvin Kimera celebrate a goal against Polson on Tuesday Sept. 22. (Lot 22 Photography)
Whitefish forward Marvin Kimera breaks away from the Pirate defense at Polson High School on Sept. 22. (Lot 22 Photography)
The boys soccer team continued its undefeated streak last week, trouncing Polson on the road 5-1 on Tuesday before Thursday’s 8-1 domination of the Stevensville Yellowjackets.
Over both games, Whitefish head coach John Lacey got to witness the depth and strength of his team. In Polson the Bulldogs had a great outing from a lot of the younger, less experienced players.
It didn’t take long for freshman forward Collin Lyman to make an impact as he fed the ball to Brandon Mendoza for the first score of the game in the 9th minute. Another young Whitefish player Ford Thompson made a quick impact as well as he netted a goal in the 20th minute off an assist from Chase Sabin to put the Bulldogs up 2-0.
“It did feel good to get on the board, we got a great contribution from a number of our younger players,” Lacey said. “Collin Lyman came in and contributed right away; Ford Thompson, same thing.”
Only one minute after Thompson’s goal however, Polson came back firing with a goal from Pirate Kaden Nelson. Whitefish’s Niath Edland scored before the end of the first half to regain a comfortable lead, and Lyman and Sabin each had a goal in the second half to seal the deal.
“Top to bottom, guys have been playing great,” Lacey commented.
On Thursday the team hosted Stevensville at Smith Fields, but it didn’t start off the way anybody anticipated. Yellowjacket player Garrett Schreiber wasted no time going the length of the field to score the first goal of the game in only the 2nd minute. Lacey said the boys were kind of shell shocked, but it didn’t take long for Whitefish to get back playing its game.
Marvin Kimera scored the equalizer in the 11th minute and Brandon Mendoza put in the go-ahead goal just a minute later to turn the tables. From there the Bulldogs settled in and controlled the rest of the game easily.
“We didn’t come out of the gate 100% ready to go and they took advantage right away,” Lacey said. “That was a good lesson for us, not only that we need to start strong, but we also need to be aware that no matter what is out there it takes only a couple touches of the ball and we can be down a goal.”
“Ironically that was the first time in over two years that we’ve trailed,” he added.
Kimera piled on two more goals before the end of the first half to complete his hat trick. In the second half Whitefish celebrated another scoring frenzy with goals coming from Sabin, Mendoza, Edland and Ryder Elliot.
Unfortunately captain and a lead defender for Whitefish, Joshua Gunderson, left the game in the second half with an injury that will take him out of the next few games. Lacey said the team will miss him, but is confident he has the depth on his squad to fill the role.
The Bulldogs defeated Bigfork on Monday evening 5-0 and were set to play Libby on Tuesday after presstime. Saturday Whitefish hosts Columbia Falls for the second time this season.
“We’ve known all along that our season is defined by October, and come this Saturday it’s October,” Lacey said.
Whitefish and Columbia Falls will face off at 11 a.m. at Smith Fields on Saturday.
Whitefish 3 2 — 5
Polson 1 0 — 1
WF 9th min, Brandon Mendoza goal, Collin Lyman assist
WF 20th, Ford Thompson goal, Chase Sabin assist
Pol 21st, Kaden Nelson goal, Austin Lauper assist
WF 28th, Niath Edland goal, James Thompson assist
WF 53rd, Lyman goal, Marvin Kimera assist
WF 61st, Sabin goal
Shots on goal - Whitefish 9, Polson 4. Goalie saves - Whitefish 3 (Will Peppmeier), Polson 4 (Tristan Clifford). Corner kicks - Whitefish 8, Polson 2. Fouls - Whitefish 8, Polson 5.
Stevensville 1 0 — 1
Whitefish 4 4 — 8
S - Garrett Schreiber, 2:00
W - Marvin Kimera (Aaron Dicks), 11:00
W - Brandon Mendoza (Gabe Menicke), 12:00
W - Kimera (Darby McCarthy), 24:00
W - Kimera (Niath Edland), 25:00
W - Chase Sabin, 56:00
W - Mendoza (Kimera), 63:00
W - Edland, 68:00
W- Ryder Elliott (Kimera), 70:00
Shots on goal - Whitefish 20, Stevi 5. Goalie saves - Whitefish 5 (Will Peppmeier), Stevi 12 (Kamden Johnson). Corner kicks - Whitefish 10, Stevi 1. Fouls - Whitefish 4, Stevi 9. Cards - Stevi 1.
