Bulldog soccer nets two shutouts over Hamilton, Corvallis
Whitefish boys soccer added 12 more goals to the stats column last weekend with zero let into their own net.
Led by senior captain Gabe Menicke’s six goals over a two-day span, five of them against Hamilton on Friday, the Bulldog soccer team prevailed over both Hamilton and Corvallis.
Whitefish head coach John Lacey says the team used the weekend as a chance to improve their game fitness while bringing a smaller roster on the road trip.
The boys opened the back-to-back game days with an 8-0 win over Hamilton. Menicke led the team in goal scoring, but Aaron Dicks, Ryder Elliot and Joe Brandt all scored as well. Midfielder Chase Sabin racked up three assists and Whitefish had 19 shots on goal.
“Gabe has been a core part of our program for a long time and he’s just putting a stamp on it, same way with Chase Sabin,” Lacey expressed. “Both of those guys are just seizing their senior year and playing great.”
Against Corvallis the next day the competition was more intense, but the Bulldogs rode an early three-goal lead to win 4-0.
“We had a good match against Corvallis, our semifinal opponent from last fall — as we joked about it, it was a lot nicer to play in the sun than 10 below,” Lacey said. “But it was a good match, it felt like an October match.”
Whitefish’s Menicke scored in the 13th minute to give the Bulldogs the lead. Elliot added one in the 24th minute and shortly after Sabin scored, all before the half. It appears as if Corvallis made some adjustments as they held the Bulldogs to just one goal, by Sabin, in the second half. The Bulldogs had 12 shots to Corvallis’ 4 and Bulldog senior goalkeeper Will Peppmeier kept the ball out of the net with four saves.
Lacey said he was thrilled with the defensive effort against Corvallis, giving up few opportunities in front of the net.
“I was really happy with the defensive performance,” Lacey said. “Willem Gray in particular had a really strong weekend, Niko Hunter as well.”
Whitefish looks ahead to a busy week of play with two varsity games and one junior varsity game to test their team depth and game recovery.
“I think in general the routine of getting into training, the pregame and match recovery, is a good pattern for us to fall into…” he said, adding that the team is excited to get back on their home field with the fans again. “It’s (the fans) a boost for the players, they’ve worked really hard to have these moments and they get to share them with their parents and with classmates when they can.”
Whitefish was set to play Polson at Smith Fields Tuesday after press time and will travel to Libby on Thursday for a match at 6 p.m.
Whitefish 8, Hamilton 0 (3-0 half)
W — Gabe Menicke 14:00
W — Menicke 19:00
W — Menicke (Case Sabin) 39:00
W — Aaron Dicks 60:00
W — Menicke (Charlie Hyatt) 67:00
W — Ryder Elliot (Sabin) 72:00
W — Joe Brandt (Sabin) 78:00
W — Menicke (Adam Healy) 79:00
Shots on goal — Whitefish 19, Hamilton 4. Goalie saves — Whitefish 4 (Will Peppmeier, Ethan Schott), Hamilton 11 (Sam Duerr). Corner kicks — Whitefish 7, Hamilton 1. Fouls — Whitefish 5, Hamilton 2. Cards — Whitefish 1
Whitefish 3 1 — 4
Corvallis 0 0 — 0
W — Gabe Menicke 13:00
W — Ryder Elliott (Menicke) 24:00
W — Chase Sabin 29:00
W — Sabin
Shots on goal — Whitefish 12, Corvallis 4. Goalie saves — Whitefish 4 (Will Peppmeier), Corvallis 8 (Kai Knight). Corner kicks — Whitefish 6, Corvallis 1. Fouls — Whitefish 14, Corvallis 7. Cards — Whitefish 2, Corvallis 1.