Heartbreaker bounces 'Dogs from playoffs

Down-to-the-wire matches have characterized this Bulldog soccer season, and Saturday’s heartbreaking loss to Livingston followed suit.

Whitefish’s boys team fell in the first round of the Class A state playoffs 2-1 when No. 1 seeded Park High put in a goal in the final minute. Travis Pattengale scored on a free kick from the sideline 20 seconds before the final whistle.

“We marked their men, but we were too deep inside the box,” Whitefish coach O’Brien Byrd said about the final play. “We defended the shot poorly, and it came back to bite us.”

Despite the final outcome, Byrd said the team should hold their heads high.

“They left everything on the field,” he said. “I’m OK with the loss, and I feel good about the season because I know we give it our all. It’s not like we gave up and got pounded. We fought like lions out there.”

Livingston’s first goal came in the ninth minute on a shot from David Hayward. The goal was questionable, Byrd said, as Whitefish’s coaching staff pointed to a missed offside call.

“We didn’t pick up a mark because we thought he was offside,” Byrd explained. “But we battled back and got the game-tying goal.”

Cody Ling found the net for Whitefish in the 60th minute to even up the match.

 “Livingston is big, strong and fast,” Byrd said. “They were tough to break down in the final third. I thought we were the better team, but the best team doesn’t always win. We had some unlucky bounces.”

Senior defender Jon Reimer said he’s proud of how the team played.

“We knew they were big and strong, but no one backed down,” Reimer said. “We went down fighting. I couldn’t be more proud of the team.”

Coach Byrd commended the Bulldogs for playing with spirit in the game, and all season.

“We have a young team with some very talented seniors that are irreplaceable,” Byrd said. “We learned a lot about soccer, but the biggest thing we can take away is that we learned about what it takes to play with heart and fight back. Those were the biggest things. We always had the talent, but sometimes we lacked heart, and I think we found that by the end of the season.”

Reimer said every season is different, but this one was just as special as the others.

“It was a roller coaster,” Reimer said. “We saw some of the best play I’ve experienced, and we saw some low spots.”

He said the team was challenged to maintain that high level of play for long stretches in matches.

“We just found our stride at the end of the season,” Reimer said. “I think we had just as good a shot at winning state this year as last season.”

The coach praised the seniors for pushing the underclassmen to be their best.

“I’m proud of them for that,” he said. “They were sure to remind these younger guys to play one season at a time. The minute you start talking about next year, it’s over.”

The short playoff run is a bit of an anomaly for Whitefish’s boys soccer team — this is only the second time in 10 seasons the Bulldogs have been bumped from the playoffs in the first round — but Byrd likes the state of the soccer program.

“We’re in a good place,” he said. “We had a legitimate shot at winning the title this year. We’re going to be a force to be reckoned with next year, especially with all of these young guys returning.”

Whitefish finished the year 6-5-2.