Whitefish boys, girls zap Polson

WHITEFISH — Round one goes to the Bulldogs.

In a clash of unbeaten Northern A boys soccer foes, Whitefish (8-0 overall, 4-0 conference) outplayed reigning champion Polson (7-1, 3-1) at home, stifling the Pirate attack and scoring two goals off corner kicks to win 5-0 on a drizzly Saturday at Smith Fields.

The Bulldogs offense looked unfazed meeting a team that’s allowed just six goals this season. After Whitefish broke the scoreless tie on a close-range goal by junior Casey Schneider in the 26th minute, the chances kept coming.

“I think after that first goal we really settled in,” Whitefish coach John Lacey said. “We recognized where there was some danger and were able to close that off.”

In the 28th minute, junior Sam Menicke gave the Bulldogs a 2-0 lead with a powerful header off a well-placed corner kick by Schneider. It was the first of Schneider’s four assists.

Lacey credited Schneider for his role in leading the Whitefish attack.

“His work rate was outstanding. He won so many balls for us,” Lacey said.

Polson coach Adam Fansher said the tone was set after his team missed some early chances before Whitefish capitalized on its.

“We got a little sloppy as the game went on. Sometimes when things aren’t going right, it kind of spirals like that,” Fansher said. “Credit to [Whitefish]. They’re at home, had a good crowd and came out ready to play and took their chances.”

Polson had an opportunity to get back in the game early in the second half, when senior Bridger Wenzel’s long-range strike in the 42nd minute sailed just wide left of the goal. But the Bulldogs took control of the match after that. The team’s frequent possession in the midfield and stingy defense kept Polson’s dangerous Mack Moderie — who entered the match leading Class A with 20 goals — from having an impact on the game.

“We have been very intentional about playing patient on the offensive end. And there’s a balance between being patient and being aggressive,” Lacey said. “It’s taken us a few games to get into that. We don’t want to take shots before they’re our best shots.”

Whitefish built a commanding 3-0 lead when sophomore Brandon Mendoza scored on a volley off a corner kick in the 49th minute. Later, Mendoza and junior Ian Lacey padded the Bulldogs’ lead with goals via Schneider’s pinpoint passes into the box.

The Pirates nearly salvaged a goal in the 77th minute when the officials awarded Polson a penalty for a foul on Moderie. But Moderie’s kick from the spot banged off the crossbar.

It was that kind of day for Polson, and Fansher expects his squad to learn from the difficult defeat.

“I know our guys are capable of playing a lot better,” Fansher said. “Any time you have a loss you obviously have opportunities to improve and I thought we learned from it. I think a lot of guys realized we can be better next time we play them.”

Polson hosts the rematch on Oct. 4, the last game for both teams before the Class A playoffs.

“I’m looking forward to the next match,” Fansher said. “These are two of the better teams in the state and I’m glad we get to play twice a year.”

Whitefish 2 3 – 5

Polson 0 0 – 0

W – Casey Schneider, 26:00

W – Sam Menicke (Schneider), 28:00

W – Brandon Mendoza (Schneider), 49:00

W – Mendoza (Schneider), 60:00

W – Ian Lacey (Schneider), 60:00

Shots on goal – Whitefish 14, Polson 5; Corner kicks – Whitefish 4, Polson 1; Keeper saves – Whitefish 3 (Colter Upton), Polson 9 (Xander Stalkfleet); Fouls – Whitefish 6, Polson 4

Girls

Whitefish 8, Polson 2

WHITEFISH — Whitefish stayed undefeated in conference play after rolling over Polson at Smith Fields.

The Bulldogs (5-3, 3-0) had 36 shots on goal in the rout. Though the Pirates (3-4-1, 2-2) kept the game tight early, they couldn’t stave off Whitefish’s offense for long.

Whitefish broke the game open late in the first half. In the 36th minute, sophomore Ali Hirsch’s beautiful strike from the right side of the box sailed over Polson goalkeeper Megan Rost into the upper-left corner of the goal. Less than a minute later, junior Olivia Potthoff sent a cross in front of the goal to sophomore Taylor Gentry, who blasted the ball into the net.

Whitefish coach Roland Benedict said it’s been a process developing his team’s attack.

“The attacking side’s the hardest part to coach, because it’s about creativity. There’s no plays, it’s getting chemistry built up and it’s letting players develop tendencies and reading each other’s tendencies,” he said. Saturday’s result was “a culmination of attacking play we’ve worked on for a long time and we put it to work today.”

Polson senior Ashlee Howell’s goal early in the second half cut the deficit to 4-2, but the Bulldogs responded with three goals in the next 10 minutes. Senior Saylor Schlauch earned a hat trick with a goal in the 59th minute. Potthoff and junior Anna Cook each had two assists and a goal for the Bulldogs.

Benedict said Cook is “the heartbeat of our attack.

“If you watch game film or really start focusing on her, she links everything together. She creates the pass before the assist,” Benedict said. “She’s kind of the trigger.”

Next up for Whitefish is a home rematch against Columbia Falls on Thursday, while Polson hosts Bigfork on Tuesday.

Whitefish 4 4 – 8

Polson 1 1 – 2

W – Saylor Schlauch (Thea Vrentas), 10:00

P – Sophia Moderie, 14:00

W – Schlauch (Anna Cook), 21:00

W – Ali Hirsch (Grace Benkelman), 36:00

W – Taylor Gentry (Olivia Potthoff), 37:00

P – Ashlee Howell (Lilly Armstrong), 51:00

W – Potthoff (Cook), 54:00

W – Josephine Brown (Benkelman), 59:00

W – Schlauch (Potthoff), 59:00

W – Cook (Hirsch), 78:00

Shots on goal – Whitefish 36, Polson 9; Corner kicks – Whitefish 2, Polson 2; Keeper saves – Whitefish 5 (Sami Galbraith), Polson 11 (Megan Rost); Fouls – N/A.