May 5, 2017 at 1:39 p.m.
Medford no match for Hodag soccer
Medford no match for Hodag soccer
Medford was the latest team to be left in the Hodags wake as Rhinelander exploded for seven goals over the final 27 minutes to defeat the Raiders via the mercy rule in 60 minutes Thursday in Stetsonville.
Those seven goals coincided with a red card issued to Medford's Vanessa Laher in the 34th minute. Sydney Zettler scored the middle goal of her hat trick roughly 30 seconds later and the Raiders, who were relegated to 10 players for the remainder of the contest, were no match for the Hodags' potent attack.
"We won the game but we actually didn't play the game as sharp as we had played on Tuesday night," Rhinelander coach Dan Millot said, referencing a 10-0 drubbing of Lakeland. "I think that part of it was just the level of the competition."
Alayna Franson and Anna Sturzl each scored twice for the Hodags (10-2-0, 7-0-0 Great Northern), who won their ninth consecutive game. The last three GNC contests have all been 10-0 victories for the Hodags. With a two-game weekend tournament on the docket Friday and Saturday in Eau Claire, Millot said it was imperative for his side to work quickly Thursday.
"Everybody that I brought to the game played today, but I looked at it several different ways and our goal was to come down here and get off the field as soon as we could so that we didn't extend it to 90 minutes," he said. "That's what we did and we still did it with making appropriate substitutions to allow players to come out and rest."
Another motive for the Hodags to get off the field quickly was the field itself. A soggy spring has already forced the cancellation, postponement or relocation of a spate of scheduled home games for the Raiders at their home field behind Stetsonville Elementary School, roughly 15 minutes south of Medford. The weather was dry Thursday, but Millot said the field still showed the lingering effects of a wet April.
"The field conditions were poor," he said. "The field down in Medford just does not absorb water. It was very spongy and wet. Footing was less than adequate however, being the same for both teams, we handled it a little bit better than Medford did."
Rhinelander was ahead 3-0 when Laher was sent off for her second yellow card of the match and the floodgates opened from there for the Hodags, who scored four times in the following 10 minutes to build a 7-0 lead at halftime.
Rhinelander added three goals in just over 12 minutes to start the second half and then rode out final few moments before the mercy rule went into effect and ended the game on the hour mark. Albiona Sabani scored what proved to be the game-clincher in the 58th minute. Brooke Mork and Izzy Haverkampf also scored for Rhinelander.
Franson added four assists to go along with her two goals. While her nine-game scoring streak has stolen many of the headlines, the Hodags have scored 35 goals in their last five games and part of that offensive uptick can be attributed to the return of Sturzl, who missed a number of games early in the season with a leg injury. Sturzl added an assist Thursday to go along with goals in the 36th and 48th minutes.
"She's definitely added a spark to our offense," Millot said. "Right now she's kind of the unsung outside attacker. What her presence does is it has really added some aggressiveness to our attack. She's making some excellent-timed runs and she's probably one of our most improved players this year. She's stepping up. She's making smart decision and it's definitely good to have her back."
Rhinelander outshot Medford 30-4 in the match. Hodag keeper Abby Oettinger was barely challenged, needing only two saves to record her third consecutive shutout and fourth in the last five games.
The Hodags' nine-game winning streak is set to be put to the test this weekend in Eau Claire. River Falls - the team the Hodags defeated to qualify for the WIAA Division 2 state tournament in 2014 and 2015 - was first on the docket Friday night in a game that concluded after deadline. Rhinelander plays Eau Claire Regis this afternoon. Millot said the weekend games could serve as Rhinelander's strongest test since back-to-back losses to sectional rivals Green Bay Southwest and Pulaski in the opening days of the season.
"Right now our conference, we're not as strong as we used to be in our conference," he said. "We need to make sure that we're stepping up our game and to play stronger opponents like River Falls and Regis, it's going to be important for us to play well. That's the competition we need to beat to reach our final goals."
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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