Whitefish boys soccer ends season in semifinal game
The Whitefish Bulldog boys soccer team’s season came to an end Saturday after they were edged out by the Livingston Rangers on the road. The final score was 0-1 in the semi-final game.
“It was tough,” said Whitefish Coach John Lacey. “We certainly had our chances and just couldn’t punch it in.”
The game was scoreless through the first half and the Bulldogs owned the second half with most of the play occurring in the Ranger’s half of the field, particularly in the last 15 to 20 minutes of the game.
Livingston scored in the 54th minute and although Whitefish was successful in creating opportunities, they couldn’t get the ball to fall in their favor.
“We’ve had an outstanding season and (I’m) super proud of the boys and can’t really be upset with the effort or even, for that matter, the outcome on Saturday,” said Lacey. “You play enough games and eventually you have days like Saturday, where despite creating all the chances that we worked for, it just doesn’t go in… it goes off the bar or misses by an inch or somebody makes a great save.”
The wildly successful history of the Whitefish soccer program may weigh heavily on the shoulders of the players after Saturday’s game, especially the seniors, and the coach understands.
“The recent history of the program and all that these boys have ever known probably means that this feels like disappointment and, of course, we wanted to win,” Lacey said.
The team is losing four seniors but the majority of the team will be back to meet each game head on and do their best to continue the legacy that has been built.
“I really want to commend the seniors this year for what they’ve done to help get that next stage set,” he added.
Coach Lacey said he’s proud of his team. He said the team has played well, had a good season and they continue to build their strengths in preparation for next season.
“Saturday’s loss is disappointing, we at least wanted one more game, stretching the streak to five,” Lacey said. “But who we are and what we do is still intact. And we feel pretty good about what we’ve built for next year.”
Livingston 1, Whitefish 0 (0-0 half)
Shots WF 18, Liv 11
Corners WF 10, Liv 4
Fouls WF 6, Liv 5
Saves WF 10 (Ethan Schott), Liv 18 (Gage Bober)
54th min Liv goal Calvin Caplis