Seeing double: Whitefish has two goalies

The Whitefish soccer team has a problem, but according to head coach O'Brien Byrd, it's a good problem to have.

The Bulldogs have two senior keepers, both of whom play the goalie position exclusively.

For the last three years, David Hobbs has suited up as the starting keeper for the Bulldogs, while Shane Dowaliby has had to work his way up through the ranks.

"That's a situation any athlete can understand," Byrd said. "Shane stayed with it for four years after being stuck behind David Hobbs, and now those two are neck-and-neck. It's a great problem to have."

For Byrd and the players, it's a team-first mentality.

"They couldn't possibly have a better attitude," Byrd said.

The goalies practice with each other and warm up together before games.

"They're good friends," Byrd said. "They joke around and talk with each other, yet they know only one of them gets to play."

While many goalkeepers would switch positions or sports knowing that their playing time would be limited, Dowaliby decided to stick it out, switching off as goalie on the JV team his freshman year, playing goalie exclusively on the JV team his sophomore year, and playing behind Hobbs his junior year.

"It's tough on the coach to decide which goalie to play and for us to get chosen to play," said Dowaliby, "but it's better than not having anyone and just picking the tallest person on the field."

Dowaliby attributes his improvement to Joel Marinaccio, who tutored him in net, and to goalie camps he attended each summer.

"He's gotten much better.," Hobbs said of his 6-foot 3-inch fellow goalie. "Last year, I was the obvious starter, and this year, it could go either way."

Hobbs, who's been a mainstay of the Bulldog program for three year, says the two might decide between themselves who's going to play when they warm up.

Part of that decision is not so much who's technically more skilled, but who's on top of their game at the time.

"Last year, there were games I shouldn't have played in," Hobbs said. "If I'm not feeling it, or he's not feeling it, we can switch off, and it won't hurt the team at all."