Bigfork boys steadily improving as competition gets tougher

The Bigfork Vikings soccer team got a little closer to winning its first game of the season last week as the team put up its first points after being shutout its previous three games.

During the 36th minute of the Vikings' game against Stillwater Christian School on Sept. 7, sophomore Austin Gordon scored the Bigfork boys' first goal off of an assist by junior Dillon Charlebois.

"It was the result of hard work by Dillon and diligence by Austin," said Keith Koslosky, Bigfork head boys soccer coach.

The Bigfork goal brought the score to 2-1, as it followed goals by Stillwater during the second and 16th minutes of the game.

Stillwater's first goal was achieved following a breakdown on Bigfork's defense and the second came as the result of the Vikes letting an unmarked runner through to the goal.

"Neither of those things can happen," Koslosky said. "Up until that game we owned the set up area on our defensive side and that game we let that get away from us."

The Vikes got on the board again and were the first to score in the second half, when a set play was successful and sophomore Matt Killian passed the ball to senior Fabian Zavala who put it into the net in the 46th minute.

With the score tied at two points apiece, Stillwater stepped up its offense and scored goals in the 56th and 74th minutes. Bigfork was unable to answer back.

"We saw glimpses of what we are looking for," Koslosky said. "We are really starting to put things together and realize what we are capable of. We started by working on the defense and now we're are working on the attack. There were some combinations happening and we're starting to see players looking for each other. We need to get to where we are looking at our opponents and adapting our attack to overcome their defensive style."

Unfortunately for the Vikings, they were unable to devise a successful attack to score against Whitefish on Thursday night and took a 5-0 shutout to their league rivals.

Even though Nate Roberson wasn't perfect in the goal, his performance was one of the best of his career and included 11 saves.

"He was courageous and fearless. He was absolutely sensational," Koslosky said. "The way he came out and the aggressive nature he played was everything that one could ask for from a goal keeper."

Bigfork held the Bulldogs to just one goal in the first half, and nearly tied the game with a pass from senior newcomer Mike Frizzell to Killian, who put the ball just over the bar right before the half.

The second half did not bring the Vikes better luck as the Bulldogs scored two goals in the first five minutes.

"The second half they came out very strong, determined, it seemed, to put the game away," Koslosky said. "They switched their attack to their right side from their left side. We sort of lost our shape and didn't make the adjustments that we needed to make in order to make up for the adjustments they made. We made some mental errors in the middle of the field that we have been making in the past. They are chronic."

Those mistakes led to two more second-half goals.

One in the 74th minute and another six minutes later.

"Something I like is that the guys are becoming aware of their game and what they need to work on," Koslosky said. "That is a sign of maturity."

One contributing factor to Bigfork's struggle on the pitch last Thursday was their packed game schedule.

"The boys were obviously tired. We had five matches in 10 days," Koslosky said. "They had every right to be tired. The competition has improved with each match and the games have been more meaningful each time."

The Vikings traveled to Libby for their third conference game of the season Tuesday.

Forfeit by rivals

Bigfork was slated to host Columbia Falls on Friday for the teams' second meeting of the season. However, the Wildcats were forced to forfeit the remainder of their season following the suspension of 14 of the team's 21 players. The Columbia Falls players were suspended for violating the school's alcohol policy during the team's Sept. 3-4 trip to Livingston and Belgrade, an incident which took place after the team's first game with Bigfork on Aug. 3, which resulted in a 0-0 tie. That tie will remain in the record books, but Friday's would-be game will be marked as a win for the Vikings.

The forfeiting of all future games will also affect the playoffs as the Wildcats are now out of the running, and teams take wins for games they were to play with them. Bigfork is the only team in the Northwest A Conference that played Columbia Falls. All others will be credited with two wins and may fill those game slots any way they would like.

The remaining seven players on the Columbia Falls team may possibly play seven-on-seven games during the remaining month of the season. However, those games would not be varsity.

The student alcohol policy at Columbia Falls High School has a 30-day suspension penalty. The alcohol policy prohibits the "use, possession or being under the influence of alcohol, drugs, marijuana, unauthorized prescription medication or other mind or mood altering substances … while in attendance on school property, while going to or coming from school, during lunch period whether on or off campus and during or while going to or coming from a school sponsored activity. A school sponsored activity includes games and events both at home and at other schools or venues."

At press time it had not been determined by administrators at Bigfork and Columbia Falls high schools whether a boys seven-on-seven game would be held Friday in place of the varsity match. The boys soccer schedule on www.highschoolsports.net will be updated accordingly when a decision is made.

RESULTS

Stillwater 4, Bigfork 2

Stillwater 2 2 — 4

Bigfork 1 1 — 2

SC - Ryan Cook, 2:00

SC - Daniel Jentz, 16:00

BF - Austin Gordon (Dillon Charlebois), 36:00

BF - Fabian Zavala (Matt Killian), 46:00

SC - Cook, 56:00

SC - Derek Vander Ark, 74:00

Shots on goal — Stillwater 23, Bigfork 7; Goalie saves — Stillwater 1 (Jordan Tritten), Bigfork 8 (Nate Roberson); Corner kicks — Stillwater 6, Bigfork 8; Fouls — Stillwater 8, Bigfork 6; Cards — None

Whitefish 5, Bigfork 0

Whitefish 1 4 — 5

Bigfork 0 0 — 0

Whitefish — Marcelo Theodoro (Mark Stormes), 34:00; Theodoro, 48:00; Curran Edland (Sam Donaldson), 50:00; Jack Steele, 74:00; Theodoro (Steele), 80:00

Shots on goals — Whitefish 16, Bigfork 1; Corner kicks — Whitefish 6, Bigfork 2; Goalie saves — Whitefish 0 (Chance Ling), Bigfork 11 (Nate Roberson); Fouls — Whitefish 10, Bigfork 3; Cards — Whitefish one yellow, Bigfork two yellow