April 7, 2017 at 2:34 p.m.
Lady Hodags top Lakeland 3-1 in opener
Lady Hodags top Lakeland 3-1 in opener
The Lady Hodags didn't waste much time making an impression, scoring three times in the first half and cruising to a 3-1 victory.
Rhinelander scored on an Albiona Sabani goal 7:08 into the season and got two more in the first 24 minutes to take a 3-0 lead at the end of the first half.
Lakeland managed to score early in the second half, but the Lady Hodags played swarming defense all night.
"Lakeland came back in the second half and put together a nice second half of soccer and possessed the ball much better than they did in the first half," Rhinelander head coach Dan Millot said. "We let that one get in on us - definitely a mistake that we're going to fix so that doesn't happen again - but I was pleased. I think we gave them one shot on goal, or maybe two the entire night. When you can play defense like that and shut them down - I'm impressed. I'm impressed with some of my younger players that stepped up tonight."
In the first half it was the offense that sparked Rhinelander. Less than five minutes after Sydney Zettler found Sabani for the first goal, Alayna Franson connected on a pass to Zettler to go up two.
Just shy of the 24-minute mark, Franson found freshman Isabelle Haverkampf for her first goal as a Hodag.
"I think we were passing the ball much better in the first half than we did in the second half," Millot said. "Once we started to adjust some of our runs and angles that we were making our runs - we just played with more intensity. We played with more purpose. I think we took our foot off the pedal a little bit in the second half, and that hurt us because Lakeland wasn't going to lay down and die and they really came out and started to play hard against us."
Sydney Ziebart got Lakeland on the board with a shade less than four minutes into the second half.
Ziebart's shot dribbled past keeper Abby Oettinger and just past the goal line.
The Thunderbirds were able to have more possession time in the second half, but Rhinelander's defensive unit of the Van Zile sisters - Payton and Kenedy - along with Lauren Fabich and Brooke Mork kept them away from any potential scoring chances.
"I think our defense played well tonight and they played pretty consistent," Millot said. "Kenedy Van Zile and Payton Van Zile on the outside, it's their first time playing those positions and they did a nice job running the field. Brooke Mork and Lauren Fabich are just solid central defenders. It was an unlucky goal in the second half that allowed Lakeland to score, but I'm pleased. I'm pleased with this being our first game, playing a quality opponent. I'm pleased with the result."
Oettinger, a senior, picked up the win for the Hodags in her first start in net.
Rhinelander played Green Bay Southwest Friday night in a match that concluded after deadline and travels to eighth-ranked Pulaski Saturday.
Nick Sabato may be reached at [email protected] or via Twitter @SabatoNick.
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