Lady Bulldogs pull off stunning upset over Hamilton, travel to Billings on Saturday

By DAVID ERICKSON / Whitefish Pilot

For the fourth year in a row, the Whitefish girls are headed to the state Class A soccer championship match. Whitefish entered the playoffs as the No. 2 seed from Northwestern A after Libby, but they're team still standing.

On Saturday, the Lady Bulldogs shocked favored No. 1 Hamilton 1-0 on the road in a huge upset. The Lady Broncs were undefeated going into the game, and they had dominated Whitefish 4-1 back on Sept.. 13. The win means Whitefish will play Billings Central on Saturday for the state title.

"I think we caught them by surprise. We came together as a team," Whitefish senior defender Hayley Murphy said. "It was really intense. I always enjoy playing Hamilton because they're tough. We're both really physical teams."

Whitefish dominated the first half, attacking the Lady Broncs with the wind at their backs, but they were unable to capitalize and the game was tied at nil-nil going into the break.

At halftime, senior captain Hannah Long told her teammates "there's no way we shouldn't be kicking their (rear-ends)," according to head coach Lini Reading.

"They were pumped. They really enjoyed the game," Reading said. "They trusted themselves and trusted each other. As much as anything, we believed in ourselves."

Just six minutes into the half, the Whitefish girls got one in the bucket when freshman Natalie Gayner recovered from losing her footing and got off a quick pass to senior striker Carly Lengstorf. Lengstorf blasted a shot into the net, and the Whitefish sideline went wild.

The Whitefish defense then held their own against a desperate Hamilton team that tried everything they could to avoid ending their season at home.

"In the second half, there was a wave of 15 minutes of what seemed like terror in a way," Reading said. "Hamilton was really pressing, but the girls held on. It was tooth and nail."

Murphy said the Whitefish defense has really come together in the playoffs.

"We're just trying to play the toughest defense we could because we owed it to our offense," she said. "I'm really excited to play next week because I'm a senior and I haven't had the chance for a state championship. For us seniors, it's going to be our last game. I think we're all on the same page, and I feel like we have a lot to prove."

Murphy said she wasn't exactly predicting that her team would get to the big dance after they struggled in several regular season games.

"I have to admit, I was pretty surprised that we made it this far," she said. "But lately, we've been coming together."

Murphy credits coach Reading for a lot of her team's success.

"She always really supportive," Murphy said. "She always tries to do what's best for us, and you can tell how much dedication she has for our team."

For her part, Reading said the girls still have a tough test in front of them.

"My feeling is that Billings is the real deal, but they're not unbeatable," she said. "Our goal is to play our game, to play with composure, to win every ball.

To trust each other, support each other, and have fun together. For the seniors, now this is it, we made it to the big dance, and I couldn't be more proud of the girls for how they've come together."

Whitefish will be making its sixth championship appearance in eight years. They won it all in 2001 and 2006, when they beat Billings Central 3-1 for the title.

Earlier this year, Central beat the Lady 'Dogs 4-0.

Kickoff on Saturday is at 11 a.m. at Wendy's Field at Rocky Mountain College.

Whitefish 0 1 - 1

Hamilton 0 0 - 0

Whitefish - Carly Lengstorf (Natalie Gayner), 46:00

Shots on goal - Whitefish 11, Hamilton 6

Corner kicks - Whitefish 7, Hamilton 2

Goalie saves - Whitefish 6 (Madisen Cross), Hamilton 13 (Megan Baker)

Fouls - Whitefish 8, Hamilton 5

Cards - None