`Dogs finish regular season still unbeaten

Team hosts first playoff game at 2 p.m. Saturday

By DAVID ERICKSON / Whitefish Pilot

The streak continues.

The two-time defending state champion Whitefish boys soccer team has now won 42 straight games over the last three seasons (although they tied Billings Central earlier this year).

On Saturday at Smith Fields, they wrapped up their third straight unbeaten regular season by taking down Libby 4-1. The win, along with a 4-1 win over Columbia Falls on Thursday, makes the Bulldogs Northwestern A champions and moves them to 8-0 in league and 11-0-1 overall this year. They host Hamilton this Saturday at 2 p.m. at Smith Fields in the first round of the playoffs.

Senior co-captain and defender Jake Danczyk says the unbeaten streak provides extra motivation for him.

"As a senior, it makes me feel even more responsible," he said. "It is a motivation for us to be able to carry on the work that previous soccer players did. I still talk to some of the guys who are in college now, and keeping this streak alive keeps them interested. This is the year we get to remember as being our year. In the past, it's been the seniors'. We have two big years before us to live up to, and now it's our turn."

The Bulldogs' suffocating defense has been a key to the team's success this year. When opposing teams can find no opportunities to get shots on goal, it takes their energy away almost as quickly as getting scored on by the creative Whitefish attackers.

"Defensively, the game against Libby was probably our best performance of the year," head coach O'Brien Byrd said. "For the first 15 minutes, we were unstoppable. Our possession, passing and runs of the ball, it was just awesome to watch. Of course, you can't keep up that level of concentration, but I think it was kind of a wake-up call when Libby did score. Libby's a good team."

Felix Hermsdorf scored three goals in the first 16 minutes of play, and Mark Hotzfield capped off the game with a penalty kick goal in the 69th minute.

Byrd is probably able to remember what it feels like to lose a game, but it has been a long time. He's fully aware that this amazing run won't mean much if they don't go all the way again this year.

"I told them this team hasn't won anything yet," he said. "We're a part of history, but that's all going to be for nothing if we don't win the state championship. The unbeaten streak doesn't mean anything for the 2008 team unless we win the title."

Every year Byrd reminds the team what happened four seasons ago.

"We won our conference and played the No. 3 seed from the south, Corvallis, and lost," he said. "They had five shots on goal and three goals, we had 28 shots on goal and two goals. I'll never forget that. We dominated the game but just lost our focus. It was bizarre, and it kind of made you hate the game. It seemed unfair."

Byrd, Danczyk and the rest of the Bulldogs are determined never to let that happen again. Byrd says he doesn't hear his players talk much about the undefeated streak, and Danzcyk agreed.

"It's a secondary objective," Danczyk said. "Our first goal is to win the state championship. Playing soccer in Montana, some people say it's not a big deal, but going undefeated for three years adds some credibility."

Danzcyk said his first priority is not to overlook their first-round opponent.

"Hamilton is strong every year, every time we play them, I know they have a history," Danczyk said. "It was nice to get a big win against a conference-rival like Libby and Columbia Falls two days earlier. If we play like we played against them, we're going to do well. It gave us a lot of momentum."

Admission to Saturday's 2 p.m. game against the Broncs will be $5 students and $7 adults. No passes will be accepted.

Libby 1 0 - 1

WF 3 1 - 4

Shots on goal - Libby 11, WF 19

Fouls - Libby 3, WF 9

Goalie saves - Libby 13, WF 10 (Joe Galbraith)