Bulldogs top Livingston in first round of playoffs

Talk about pressure situations.

Down a goal, with the season on the brink, the Bulldog offense was sputtering — it was up to the defensive unit to turn things around.

Led by senior sweeper Matt Danczyk, Whitefish's top-seeded boys soccer team held the visiting Livingston Rangers scoreless for the final 72 minutes of their first-round Class A playoff game on Saturday, while senior forwards Travis Adams and Anto Daoud scored key goals to vault the 'Dogs to a 2-1 victory.

"All the pressure was on us because we were the No. 1 seed." Bulldog coach O'Brien Byrd said. "We were at home. We had the fans. Then we got scored on and the season was on the line.

"I've seen teams fold with that pressure. Instead, we fought hard, we battled when times were tough and we found a way to win. We need games like that to bloody us a bit for bigger games. Now, there is even more pressure."

With the win, Whitefish moves on to the semi-finals and will meet Corvallis on Oct. 24 at home.

"The defenders were the most valuable players," Byrd said. "They kept us in the game and created our offensive opportunities."

After falling behind early in the first half, when Livingston's Nick Amsk lofted a ball over keeper Alex Whitaker's head, Whitefish employed an off-sides trap that constantly caught the Rangers' offense out of position.

"There is a tactic when deploying the off-sides trap," Byrd said. "It's a byproduct of a super-organized defense that is tight and compact. Our defense has been improving game after game."

Danczky led the effort — as he has all season.

"We've been trapping really well lately," Danczyk said. "The defensive line listened when I called it."

The overwhelming pressure on the Rangers' front line opened up opportunities for the Bulldogs' offense, which was struggling to finish open shots on goal early in the match.

"The offense was a little off," Byrd said. "They were stuck in second gear. Guys were missing shots they would normally make."

Whitefish finally scored the equalizer in the 31st minute after Daoud cleaned up a loose ball in front of an empty net.

Then, 16 minutes into the second period, Adams — the team's leading scorer — knocked in the go-ahead goal from the top of the penalty box.

"I was able to cut through and get it with my left foot," Adams said, who was hounded by heavy-handed defensive pressure from Livingston for most of the match.

"They were a physical team," he said.

Byrd commended the Rangers effort in the grudge match.

"Full credit to Livingston," he said. "They deserved to be there. A lot of teams that go ahead, then all of a sudden are losing — they start packing their bags. But they fought us to the end."

Whitefish tallied 13 shots on goal in the match, while Livingston had three.

Whitaker had two saves for the Bulldogs.