August 30, 2017 at 1:26 p.m.
Hodags cruise past Antigo in GNC soccer opener
Hodags cruise past Antigo in GNC soccer opener
Rhinelander utterly controlled the match, outshooting Antigo 56-4 overall, however only 20 of those Hodag shots finished on goal, otherwise the score could have been more lopsided than what it was.
"We saw a lot of nice things we also saw what happens when we get overly aggressive and we're impatient," Hodag coach Dan Millot said. "I don't know how many shots we missed tonight, but we just need to stay composed, finish and get better strikes on net."
Rhinelander (3-1-1, 1-0-0 Great Northern) took control with three goals in a three-minute span early in the first half and never looked back. Hicks recorded the first tally as the Antigo defense misplayed a header following a service into the box. Hicks collected the loose ball, took one touch and finished from roughly 12 yards to put the Hodags on the board in the 11th minute.
After that, it was two quick strikes for two of Rhinelander's top returning offensive weapons. Von Oepen got the ball near the top of the 18-yard box on a service by Freddy Wisner and found the top-right corner of the goal in the 13th minute. Less than 60 seconds later, Sabani tucked a shot inside the left goalpost from about 20 yards away off a touch pass from Von Oepen.
Von Oepen and Sabani each had two assists. They had a hand in seven of Rhinelander's eight goals on the night.
"They're two of our best players and they need to be playmakers," Millot said. "When they're on, people need to pay attention to them, which allows other people (to step up). Hunter Hicks, for example, scored a couple goals tonight. Other people have to step up and take some of that pressure off Matthew and Jonus. We just do it one possession at a time and we're going to get better as the season goes on."
After failing to convert on any of their 17 corner kick opportunities in a 1-1 draw Saturday against Iron Mountain, the Hodags made good on two set pieces Tuesday night. Von Oepen was in the right spot about 12 yards from goal to redirect a Wisner corner kick in the 33rd minute, which gave the Hodags a 4-0 advantage that they carried to halftime. In the second half, Sabani found Joseph Schmitz on the back post for another corner kick goal.
"Matthew Von Oepen's one-touch finish there in the first half was just beautiful. It was a beautiful service and a beautiful finish," Millot said. "Joseph Schmitz had the header in the second half off a corner. We've started to work on set pieces more and the timing is so critical on set pieces. I think they're starting to understand what we're trying to do with them."
Hicks got the scoring underway in the second half with a subtle redirect of a Von Oepen cross in the 49th minute. Sabani got on a ball from Wisner in the 53rd minute and struck a hard shot from 20 yards that went through Antigo keeper Ben Lewandowski's hands and into the net. Following Schmitz' corner kick goal in the 66th minute, Von Oepen finished his at trick with a 74th-minute strike from just outside the 18-yard-box on a pass by Sabani.
Antigo had very little offense to speak of, and it all came in a flurry late in the first half. Brody Bunnell registered the Red Robins' first shot of the match in the 38th minute, which went wide. Moments later, Tanner Stueck shot from the right side of the 18-yard box and struck the frame of the goal in the top right corner. A couple of minutes later Josh Randolph was called upon to make a save on a shot that rolled into the box. It was the only save the Hodag keeper needed to record to preserve the shutout.
The Hodags are home tonight to take on Lakeland, which figures to be one of Rhinelander's top contenders in the conference. The T-Birds, however, were dealt an early conference setback with a 2-0 loss Tuesday night in Minocqua.
"Lakeland-Rhinelander games are always down to the wire games," Millot said. "There's a lot of respect, I think, for our programs. They've got an excellent keeper and some nice field players that we've got to contend with. It's going to be basically who ever takes advantage of the opportunities that they are given."
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Mike Webster Stadium.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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