Soccer: Dogs face Central in rematch of '09 title game

The Bulldogs (14-0-0) look to repeat as Class A state champions when they host cross-state rival Billings Central (13-1-0) this Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at Smith Fields.

Central knocked off Stevensville 4-0 in their semifinal match. Their lone loss of the year was a 4-1 defeat to the same Stevi team.

Whitefish hopes to carry momentum from Saturday’s win into next weekend.

“It’s really important for us that we keeping peaking,” junior Tommy Murphy said. “I think we’re peaking at the right time for the state championship.”

“The last two games were our two best of the year,” midfielder Nathan Boone added.

Senior captain Curran Edland echoed those thoughts, noting how much the team has improved since the beginning of the season.

“We’re getting better every game,” Edland said. “We have one more left and we’re hitting our peak right on schedule.

“We’re feeling confident, but now is the time to focus. We can’t start thinking about the outcome yet — anything can happen.”

The last time Whitefish and Central met in the finals was in 2009 when the Rams escaped Smith Fields with their first state title. The freshman on that Whitefish roster are now seniors.

Whitefish coach O’Brien Byrd said Central has a lot of individual talent. Central’s Conner Sheehy is the state’s third leading scorer behind Sam Donaldson and Edland.

“They have bright stars,” Byrd said. “But on our team, anybody can score on any given day. We’ll have our defenders ready.”

The Rams are led by first-year coach Didier Ndedi, a former pro soccer player and a native of Cameroon.

With the Central girls playing in Columbia Falls Saturday morning, Byrd expects a big crowd at Smith Fields for the boys game.

“This game has the potential to be the best soccer match ever seen at Smith Field,” Byrd said. “Both teams are obviously peaking. With a rowdy crowd, this could be a tremendous game.”

“We believe in the system and its strengths. We have to believe and keep focus for 80 minutes.”