Whitefish boys roll into semis

By COLIN GAISER

The Daily Inter Lake

WHITEFISH — For 30 minutes, it looked far from certain that the undefeated Bulldogs would advance in the Class A soccer playoffs.

But Sam Menicke changed the game with one powerful strike, helping send Whitefish to a 4-0 victory over Livingston in the quarterfinals on Saturday at Smith Fields.

In the 30th minute, senior Xander Burger’s crafty footwork gave him space in the right corner to send a cross into the penalty box. The ball ricocheted off a defender to the feet of Menicke, who slammed a shot into the left side of the goal, well out of the reach of Livingston goalkeeper Brandon Smith.

“They were defending well and they started the game with more energy than us. It took us a little bit to get that playoff energy going,” Whitefish coach John Lacey said.

“When we eventually found that goal, I think the team really got a boost.”

Whitefish scored again in the 37th minute to take a 2-0 lead into halftime. Menicke sent a perfect long ball to senior forward Ammann Koch-Ford, who outran the Rangers defense and poked a first-touch shot into the goal.

The second half was all Whitefish.

The Bulldogs calmly maintained possession and created numerous chances, while stifling the Rangers experienced attack.

In the 64th minute, sophomore James Thompson put the game out of reach. Thompson attempted a cross from the goal line that evaded the defense and snuck in front of the near post before finding the back of the net.

The Bulldogs padded their lead two minutes later. Burger won the ball on the right wing and was knocked over by a defender, but Burger quickly jumped to his feet, reclaimed the ball and played a perfect cross that junior Ian Lacey pounded into the net on one touch.

“He [Xander] had a very strong game. We look to Xander to really give us that dynamic energy that really pushes us through,” coach Lacey said. He also pointed out the work rate of junior Casey Schneider from the forward position.

Lacey held Menicke out in the second half after Menicke picked up a yellow card, but Thompson and sophomore Niath Edland held strong in the central midfield. Working with the Bulldogs’ back line, they kept Livingston from threatening the goal in the second half.

“They’re a bigger, stronger team. I think we held our own,” Lacey said.

“We don’t want to go and bang against guys; we want to be able to move the ball and keep it.”

The Bulldogs will host a semifinal battle on Saturday against Southern A champions Frenchtown, a 2-0 quarterfinal winner over Laurel.

Whitefish 2 2 – 4

Livingston 0 0 – 0

W – Sam Menicke, 30:00

W – Ammann Koch-Ford (Menicke), 37:00

W – James Thompson, 64:00

W – Ian Lacey (Xander Burger), 66:00 Shots on goal – Whitefish 10, Livingston 6; Corner kicks – Whitefish 7, Livingston 1; Keeper saves – Whitefish 6 (Colter Upton), Livingston 6 (Brandon Smith); Fouls – Whitefish 11, Livingston 15; Cards - Whitefish 1 yellow, Livingston 1 yellow.

Girls

Whitefish 2, Hamilton 1 OT

WHITEFISH — The Bulldogs came from behind to take down Hamilton in extra time in the Class A quarterfinal play at Smith Fields.

Anxiety spread throughout the home crowd after the Broncs took a 1-0 lead in the 55th minute. Hamilton’s Rylee Wiediger buried a penalty kick, following a controversial foul called on Whitefish goalkeeper Sami Galbraith.

But the Bulldogs — refusing to panic — pressed forward and created numerous chances, finally breaking through in the 65th minute. Junior Anna Cook dribbled through the Broncs defense and found the space to hit a strike that leveled the match.

Whitefish coach Roland Benedict said his team’s response to the second-half deficit was “a true testament to a team that can have a run in the playoffs.”

“All year we’ve had the majority of the ball, but can you go down 1-0 at home, dominating play, and respond? And I think that’s what we did,” he said.

Junior Olivia Potthoff nearly had the game-winner in the 76th minute, but Hamilton goalkeeper Maddy Martin made a tremendous save on a shot from a few yards out.

Whitefish dominated both periods of overtime. Though Hamilton escaped the first 10-minute period unscathed, the Bulldogs scored less than a minute into the second period.

After receiving a pass from Anna Akey, Potthoff hit a high shot from the left side of the box. It went off the keeper’s fingertips, over her head and landed softly in the goal.

Whitefish shut down Hamilton’s attack, led by the duo of Wiediger (19 goals on the season) and Class-A assist leader Olivia Zepeda (18 assists).

Benedict said his team’s defense took Zepeda out of the game, making it harder on a goal-scoring threat like Wiediger.

“You shut down the supply line, and they can’t hurt you,” Benedict said.

“It shows how good we are. We didn’t put a man-marking thing on her [Zepeda]. We just played and knew where she was and knew that’s their threat.”

Whitefish will need to convert more of its chances to defeat a team like its semifinal opponent, Billings Central. The Bulldogs managed 32 attempts on goal on Saturday.

“We’ve got to be a better finishing team if we want to keep advancing. We’re going to score chances, but when you start getting teams where you only get 10 chances, you need to have a better return rate,” Benedict said.

“But you’ve always got to be able to dig out a win, anything you can do to get the result. And we did that [today].”

Whitefish plays at Billings Central on Saturday. Billings Central crushed Corvallis 5-0 in quarterfinal play.

Whitefish 0 1 0 1 – 2

Hamilton 0 1 0 0 – 1

H – Rylee Wiediger (penalty kick), 55:00

W – Anna Cook, 65:00

W – Olivia Potthoff (Anna Akey), 91:00

Shots on goal – Whitefish 32, Hamilton 9; Corner kicks – Whitefish 4, Hamilton 2; Keeper saves – Whitefish 6 (Sami Galbraith), Hamilton 12 (Maddy Martin); Fouls – NA.