Boys soccer looks for fighting spirit
<p>Whitefish junior Danny Weaver battles for a ball in a nonconference match against Stevensville Saturday at home.</p>
The Whitefish boys soccer team never even put on their cleats at practice Monday.
Instead, Bulldog coach O’Brien Byrd asked his boys to do some soul searching.
Whitefish (6-1-1) was throttled 5-2 on their home turf Saturday by a more physical Stevensville team. The loss snapped the Dogs’ 33-game undefeated streak dating back to the 2011 season — the team tied Columbia Falls two weeks ago — and illuminated a potential weakness.
Stevensville simply wanted to win the game more than Whitefish, Byrd said, which makes him question the heart of his team.
“They wanted it more. I saw that in their eyes and their play and we let them have it,” Byrd said. “We gave it to them on a silver platter.”
“Stevensville is a good team. They are physical. It was a physical game. It was a fight and we didn’t fight back.”
The nonconference battle knotted at 1-1 after 40 minutes of play was blown wide open in the second half when the undefeated Yellowjackets put in four goals in 15 minutes.
Nathan Boone managed to score in the 70th minute from an impossible angle deep in the box, but it was too little too late. Stevensville had done the damage and left Whitefish with its first win over the Dogs in seven years.
“There are a lot of life lessons you learn from a fight,” Byrd said. “The character you show to fight back and defend yourself — not by punching or kicking — but to have a fighting spirit. It’s a life lesson that goes beyond sport.”
“I’ve coached teams with half the skill, but would chew their own leg off to make a tackle or make a save.”
At Monday’s practice, Byrd said they talked about finding that spirit and desire. As a coach, he’s less interested in winning another state title than he is in motivating his boys to leave everything they have on the pitch after every match.
“All I ask is that our guys give it their all,” Byrd said.
The loss came on the heels of a nice 6-0 conference win at Polson on Thursday.
Boone and Hunter Lamoureux each tallied twice to lead the offensive effort. Scott Marsh and Shanoah Montano capped the scoring.
The victory marked Whitefish’s first shutout of the season.
“I’m proud of keeper Sam Benkleman and the back line for keeping a clean sheet,” Byrd said.
Whitefish hosted Polson on Tuesday and travels to Libby on Thursday.
Stevensville 1 4 – 5
Whitefish 1 1 – 2
S – Payden Belcourt (Chance Coleman), 4:00
W – Jared Johnson (Nathan Bone), 25:00
S – Coleman (Ian Perry), 50:00
S – Daniel Pendergast (Belcourt), 54:00
S – Belcourt (Perry), 62:00
S – Joseph Daniels (Belcourt), 65:00
V – Nathan Boone (Tommy Murphy), 70:00
Shots on goal – Stevensville 13, Whitefish 10. Corner kicks – Stevensville 4, Whitefish 5. Goalie saves – Stevensville 8 (Daniel Bradt), Whitefish 10 (Sam Benkelman). Fouls – Stevensville 6, Whitefish 8. Yellow cards – Stevensville 1.
Whitefish 2 4 – 6
Polson 0 0 – 0
W – Nathan Boone (Jared Johnson), 33:00
W – Hunter Lumoureux, 39:00
W – Boone, 58:00
W – Lumoureux, 65:00
W – Scott Marsh (Tommy Murphy), 68:00
W – Shanoah Montano, 72:00
Shots on goal – Whitefish 17, Polson 2. Corner kicks – Whitefish 7, Polson 3. Saves – Whitefish (Sam Benkelman 2), Polson (Trevor Basler 14). Total fouls – Whitefish 13, Polson 16. Yellow cards – Whitefish 2, Polson 1. Red cards – none.