Insurance. Adj. Sports

"Of, relating to, or being a score that increases a team's lead enough to prevent the opposing team from tying the game with one more scores." -Websters

Insurance.

That's what Alex White bought for the Bulldogs with her 74th minute goal during Whitefish's 2-1 semifinal soccer victory over the Corvallis Blue Devils on Saturday.

White's goal put the Bulldogs ahead 2-0 and followed on the cleats of her teammate Carly Lengstorf's goal, which ended a 66-minute scoring drought and made up for a failed break away attempt earlier in the game. Kari Rounds and Sarah Clarke posted assists for the Bulldogs.

But in the postseason, a 2-0 lead provides a minimal amount of indemnity, especially against a turn-around team desperate to play another match.

Up 2-0, the Bulldogs cashed in their policy when Corvallis' Ashley Gates kicked a high arcing ball in the last four minutes that fit through the small space between the top goal post and Whitefish goalkeeper Kirstin NallyMadigan's fingertips.

The Blue Devils wanted one more goal; they wanted to avenge last year's playoff loss to Whitefish that stopped short their perfect season. They wanted to make their ninth-ranked team a championship contender. But the Bulldogs held on. The second goal was enough.

In a state tournament where many of the games went into overtime and the Blue Devils and the Bulldogs were coming off shoot-out wins, the one-goal regulation loss seemed a more humane way to lose an almost even game. The Bulldogs took 15 shots. The Blue Devils took 13. Corvallis goalkeeper Michelle Henson kept her team in the game with 11 saves, while Whitefish's Kirstin NallyMadigan made a pivotal 15.

"Kirstin had a phenomenal day in goal," Head coach Lini Reading said. "Each game that got tougher, she got better." Reading gave credit to all the girls on the team, but said that Emily Jones, Allisa LaChance, Teal Gayner, Kaitlyn Sleichter and Megan Powell all stepped up their level of play.

On the Corvallis sideline following the game, Blue Devil's head coach Caroline Crittenden put the game in perspective. She thanked each of the seniors for their final effort, and offered hope to those that would be fortunate enough to play one more season.

"Last year we lost in the first round. This year we lost in the second round. Next year we'll win the finals," she said.

During the game, the Bulldogs were slow to score and couldn't get anything started offensively for the first half of the game, something reading hopes to change in the state final.

"It wasn't the prettiest game we've ever played," Reading said

For the Bulldogs (7-2-2 overall), the win put them in the title game against the Belgrade Panthers (8-4-2 overall), whom Bulldog Head Coach Lini Reading predicted would be the dark horse of the state soccer tournament. The Panthers have only been competing in the Class A bracket for six years, have made the playoffs three times, and lost in the first round on each one of those occasions. The last time the two teams played was in the second game of the season, and the Bulldogs tied the Panthers 4-4.

"Our game with Belgrade, it doesn't get much more competitive," Reading said. "The last game felt like a playoff game."

Belgrade has defeated the two best-ranked teams in Class A soccer in the playoffs. In the quarterfinal match, the Panthers shut down class A leading scorer Lisa Carter and the Columbia Falls Wildkats 1-0. In the semifinal game, the Panthers shut out Danielle Rodriguez and the Hamilton Broncs in another a 1-0 victory.

For Panther head coach Jacobus Hollewijn, the arrival at the state championships was not predictable.

"Were almost shocked that we're here," Hollewijn said. He attributed his team's success in the postseason to his team's unity.

"It doesn't matter if they are a senior or a freshman, they will perform," Hollewijn said. Throughout the season, Hollewijn said he has been moving players all around the field, making defenders play forwards and forwards play defenders so the team can play different formations and make adjustments as the need them.

In the last two games, Hollewijn said that his team had been nervous playing the top teams whose record was better on paper, but told his team, "the ball is the same size as it was in every game. If you know how to control the ball now, then you can control it against a bigger team."

However, the Panthers are not getting overconfident.

"If Belgrade takes it lightly, we're going to go down," Hollewijn said. "They (Whitefish) have some strong players and a good goalie. This is a team that can beat any team at any time."

The Bulldogs have not played a state Championship game in Whitefish since 2001, which was the last time the Bulldogs won a state title. In this game, neither the Bulldogs or the Panthers will be safe with a one goal lead.

The Bulldogs play the Belgrade Panthers for the state title at high noon on Saturday at Smith Fields in Whitefish.