Bulldogs take the sting out of 'Jackets

Bulldogs varsity soccer is off to an impressive start.

The boys team opened the regular season on Friday with a 9-0 victory over Stevensville, led by four goals from senior forward Travis Adams and another three from senior Matt Danczyk.

More impressively, Whitefish held Stevensville to zero shots on goal for the game, while the Bulldogs scored on more than 50 percent of their shot attempts.

"Our boys played attractive soccer," coach O'Brien Byrd said. "You can only tell so much from practice. The real tests come from games, so I was excited to see the team pass the first test with flying colors."

The 'Dogs came out blazing, knocking in three goals in the first nine minutes of play.

Freshman Sean Janni scored an impressive goal at the nine-minute mark after he beat Stevensville's right defender and made a solid strike from the left side of the penalty box to send the ball across the goal and into the upper right corner of the net.

Later in the half, Stevensville's goalie was shown a red card for using his hands outside of the 18-yard box, sending him out of the game and forcing the 'Jackets to play an inexperienced keeper.

The Bulldogs quickly capitalized when Adams tacked on an easy goal past Stevensville's substitute keeper, and Danczyk floated a 30-yard free kick over the goalie's head and into the upper-right corner.

"It was good to see Travis and Matt get on the board early," Byrd said. "Last year, they were the followers. Now they're the leaders. It's their turn, their year."

After taking a 6-0 lead into the half, the Bulldogs slowed down their game for the final 40 minutes of play. They made deliberate passes and worked the ball across the field until an easy scoring chance presented itself.

"I didn't want them to lose the ball cheaply," Byrd said of his team's play in the second half. "I wanted them to create good scoring opportunities and keep possession of the ball."

Danczyk tacked on another goal in the second half, including a superb one-timer from the top of the box, while Adams scored two more.

The 'Dogs now look forward to a rematch with Billings Central — the team that broke Whitefish's 44-game winning streak and knocked them out of the playoffs last season.

The team travels to Billings on Friday to play the 4 p.m. match.

Asked what this game means to his squad, Byrd said that on paper, it means nothing. It is a nonconference match and will have little playoff repercussions whether they win or lose.

"But in their hearts, it matters," he said. "It's an opportunity to beat the team that beat us last year."

Whitefish isn't expecting this game to be as easy as their opener.

Billings Central will bring confidence into the match after coming off the win against Whitefish in last season's playoffs, and, according to Byrd, confidence is huge in high school sports.

"A lot of their veteran players from last year are returning," he said. "Plus, we'll be playing at their house after a nine-hour bus trip."

The Bulldogs have prepared for the game by continuing to practice the ball control capabilities put on display in the second half against Stevensville. In fact, most of their practices have been spent working on time-of-possession and moving the ball up the field.

Byrd says they rarely take shots on goal in workout sessions — which, after racking up nine goals in their opener, doesn't seem to affect their aptitude for finding the back of the net.

Billings Central is 2-0 on the season with a 1-0 win in their opener against Corvallis and a 4-2 win against Hamilton.