CFalls too much for Bulldogs in rivalry match; Dogs down Libby

With a sluggish start to the game, the Whitefish Bulldogs found themselves down early on setting up a long night playing on Wildcat turf Thursday night.

Under the lights of Flip Darling Memorial Stadium, Columbia Falls defeated their rival Bulldogs 3-1.

The Dogs played in Libby on Saturday to bounce back and take care of business with a 4-0 win.

“We’ve got to be sharp all the way across the board and I think the CFalls matches have helped us see that in ourselves and helped us prepare…” said Whitefish coach John Lacey. “We’re glad to get into this phase of the season.”

On Thursday, Columbia Falls came out right away with scoring chances just a few minutes into the match. Wildcat Kai Golan connected on a shot in the 3rd minute to score off an assist from Walt Nichols. Eight short minutes later, Golan again got through the Bulldog defense for his second goal of the night. With the majority of the game still ahead, Whitefish was in a 2-0 hole.

“We played a real strong team, highly motivated with homecoming night. It was a pretty exciting environment over there… those first two goals they got obviously gave them a lot of confidence and they’re a strong team,” Lacey said. “We were not at our best to start the game, and we needed that reset come halftime.”

The Bulldogs settled in and in the second half played with a higher intensity. The momentum shifted when Whitefish midfielder Ryder Elliot scored on a set piece in the 48th minute. Looking like they could build a comeback, CFalls halted the Bulldogs with a Finley Sundberg goal in the 68th minute to push the advantage to 3-1.

“We ended up having a great stretch to start the second half, got a good goal from Ryder and felt like the game was ours to go get. Just didn’t see it all the way through…” Lacey said.

“Good teams take advantage of mistakes that other teams make, and we weren’t good enough to win on Thursday night but it was a great learning opportunity for our guys. We’re hoping we get a third crack at them for sure,” he added.

Against Libby the Bulldogs scored three goals in the first half, giving a bit of breathing room for the rest of the game. After playing less than 48 hours prior, Whitefish spread the minutes around and several guys got plenty of playing time on field.

Lacey complimented Charlie Dow, freshman goalkeeper who stepped in for an injured Ethan Schott, Whitefish’s senior keep. Dow with the help of his backline kept a clean sheet in his first varsity start.

“Charlie had his first freshman start and he’s going to play a lot of minutes for us in the years ahead,” Lacey said. “He did great and kept a clean sheet, and the guys in front of him worked super hard to make his job easier… Really proud of Charlie and all the guys, it was a really good team effort.”

In the game Preston McPherson, Collin Lyman, Chris Noone and Griffin Gunlikson all scored. Kane Nissen and Elliot had an assist each.

Whitefish moves to 8-2 overall this season.

The Bulldogs play in the final week of the regular season. The Dogs were set to face Bigfork on Tuesday after press time and will play Polson for Senior Night on Thursday at Smith Fields at 3 p.m.

Whitefish 0 1 – 1

Columbia Falls 2 1 — 3

CF - Kai Golan (Walt Nichols) 3:00

CF - Golan (Finley Sundberg) 11:00

WF - Ryder Elliott 49:00

CF - Sundberg (Max Everett) 68:00

Shots – WF 3, CF 10; Goalie saves – WF 10, CF 4 (Braeden Fairchild); Corner kicks – WF 2, CF 8; Fouls – WF 12, CF 13.

Whitefish 3 1 — 4

Libby 0 0 — 0

WF - Preston McPherson (Ryder Elliott) 12:00

WF - Collin Lyman 33:00

WF - Chris Noone (Kane Nissen) 36:00

WF - Griffin Gunlikson 72:00

Shots — WF 12, Libby 5; Corner kicks — WF 11, Libby 3; Goalie saves — WF 5 (Charlie Dow), Libby 8 (David Bailey); Fouls — WF 10, Libby 6; Cards — WF 1.