The Whitefish girls soccer match with East Helena on Tuesday ended early when the goal difference rule took effect in the 62nd minute when the score was 10-0. 

In the first minute of the match, Whitefish’s Neva Sliman scored off an Atley Bingham assist, the first goal of what would be a hat trick. Just a moment later, Bingham netted a goal herself. 

“Jenna Kimble and Millie Meyer scored their first high school goals and senior Anna Guzman scored two long-range lofted drives,” Whitefish Head Coach Kelly Ordway said. “Sage Ordway and Atley Bingham had intelligent distribution through the midfield as well as scoring a goal each.” 

Kimble had two goals on the day, and Hayley Reardon had two assists. 

THE LADY BULLDOGS returned to conference play when they met Bigfork on Thursday and won a tight game, 2-1. The match was delayed 40 minutes because of lightning in the area, but when the game started, it began with a boom. 

Just four minutes into the action, sophomore Kimble sent in a beautiful cross and senior Taylor Dorvall flew in from the back post to score. 

Dorvall struck again in the 17th minute with a header off a cross by freshman Neva Sliman. 

Brynn Bagley of Bigfork released a shot from top of the 18 that hit the inside of the post to score in the second half, which was fraught with frantic play. The Lady Bulldogs held steady to emerge with the win. 

“It was such a cohesive effort of connecting passes and both defending and attacking as a whole,” Ordway said. “Sophomore Sage Ordway led the backline of freshmen Hayley Reardon, Ayla Mosher and Barrett Clark who played tremendously.  

“Anna Guzman, Atley Bingham and Neva Sliman created dangerous opportunities from the midfield while also maintaining tight defensive pressure,” she added. “Millie Meyer, Anna Boysen and Delila Vine brought the heat up top with speed and tenacity.” 

The Whitefish goalkeeper, Jackie Solem, made key saves to ensure the victory. 

THE WHITEFISH BOYS earned a hard-fought conference victory against Bigfork, 3-0. 

Senior forward Jack Oehlerich opened the scoring in the 15th minute with an assist by Graysen Rembaugh. Seven minutes later, midfielder Kyle Jonson netted a goal, assisted by Wyatt Carlson. 

Possession bounced back and forth in the early goings, with frequent battles for the ball in the midfield. In the final minute of regulation, Ben Dow appeared off the bench to ice the cake with a third Bulldog goal from the far post. 

“One of our strengths this year is our quality in depth and again, all players that came off the bench brought energy and contributed positively,” Whitefish Head Coach Eric Sawtelle noted. “Defensively, we were happy with the clean sheet and were able to limit Bigfork's shots and opportunities.” 

He said the team is working on set piece positioning and defensive transitions, and that the defensive unit is playing with more confidence and skill each week.    

“Bigfork has some quality players, and we were happy with our performance,” Sawtelle said. “Our midfield did a nice job controlling the game and we still have a lot to improve on in our offensive and defensive thirds.   

While the Bulldogs generated lots of chances offensively, they did not have the conversion rate they want to see. Sawtelle is confident the team will continue to improve as the season progresses. 

THE BULLDOGS came home from Libby with a 4-0 win on Saturday, in a game the Whitefish coach described as a “tale of two halves.” 

"The first half we struggled to do the simple things,” Sawtelle said. “We were too open defensively, disconnected in possession, held onto the ball too long and did not find the right pass in the final third.” 

Sawtelle added that Libby is not an easy place to play. He said the Loggers always bring a lot of energy and can be a difficult opponent. 

Tristan Irwin played well in the #6 position, defensive center midfielder. He broke the deadlock in the 32nd minute off a cross from Oehlerich.   

“After a very frustrating start, the boys came out ready to play the second half and looked much better in possession and defensively,” he said.  

A nice through ball by Oehlerich in the 43rd minute found Rembaugh who finished calmly by slotting the ball into the bottom right corner. Carlson put the Dogs up, 3-0, in the 55th minute with a good finish from an accurate pass by Griffin Johnson. 

“From there we played with good energy and were able to control the possession and flow of the game,” Sawtelle said. “After a sluggish start, I was happy to see the response the boys showed in the second half.   

As the game drew to a close, Rowan Perkins scored after receiving another well-placed cross by Johnson. 

“Our boys played much more intelligently, did better communicating marks defensively and offensively,” Sawtelle said. “We were more aware of our positioning and found space to pass through the high line that Libby likes to play. 

“I have no doubt the boys will continue to work hard and will keep improving as a group,” he added. 

THE WHITEFISH GIRLS team scored once in each half to win at Libby, 2-0. Lady Bulldog keepers Jackie Solem and Marlis Nargi combined forces for the shutout against a young Logger team. 

Thirty minutes into the match, Neva Sliman scored off an assist by senior Anna Guzman. Adelle Flynn scored in the 44th minute.

Whitefish dominated with 10 corner kicks to Libby’s three, and 25 shots on goal compared to just one from the Loggers. 

Libby’s goalkeeper did a great job, though Ordway said Whitefish needs to improve the placement of their shots. 

“Whitefish distributed the ball well but were overcrowded in the middle,” Ordway said. “They played more spread out in the second half, created lots of opportunities and had plenty of shots on goal but only put two away.” 

    Sophomore Judah Colt prepares to cross the ball into the box during the Bigfork game last week. (Julie Engler/Whitefish Pilot)
  

    Macie Schmidt passes around a brace of defenders when Whitefish met Bigfork last week. (Julie Engler/Whitefish Pilot)
  

    Lady Bulldog Millie Meyer fights for the ball in the midfield last week at Smith Fields. (Julie Engler/Whitefish Pilot)
  

    Bulldogs Ben Dow and Max Brown make sure they are first to the ball during their match with Bigfork lasts week. (Julie Engler/Whitefish Pilot)
  

    Anna Guzman skies for a header against Bigfork. (Julie Engler/Whitefish Pilot)
  

    Hayley Reardon stays focused and fast during the Bigfork game last week. (Julie Engler/Whitefish Pilot)