May 12, 2017 at 1:29 p.m.
Hodag soccer handles Mosinee 7-1
Hodag soccer handles Mosinee 7-1
Mosinee couldn't figure out how to stop the triumvirate of Alayna Franson, Anna Sturzl and Sydney Zettler Thursday. Franson had a hat trick while Sturzl and Zettler each scored twice in Rhinelander's 7-1 victory at Edgewood Park.
"They're great to have up top," said Rhinelander assistant coach Sarah Lentini, who was the acting head coach Thursday with Dan Millot on vacation to attend his oldest son's college graduation. "They do a good job. We can count on them. They're consistent and that's good to have up top. That gives us confidence from front to back to know we have some people who can finish it when needed."
Rhinelander scored in bunches, with three tallies in the final 10 minutes of the first half and two more in the first 10 minutes of the second to put the game out of reach.
The win gave Rhinelander a five-point cushion on Ashland atop the GNC table with five games to play. The Oredockers were upset 3-1 Thursday night at Lakeland.
After a number of missed opportunities in the first 20 minutes, the Hodags responded to Mosinee's first decent challenge of the game with a quick counter attack. Zettler launched a pass deep upfield for Franson who got behind the defense, dribbled around goalkeeper Madison Barber at the top of the 18 and tapped the ball into an empty net in the 22nd minute.
Franson scored again in the 36th minute, taking a shot from the left side of the box that slipped through Barber's hands and into the back of the net. Zettler finished from 15 yards on a touch pass by Shelby Kuehn in the 42nd minute and Sturzl rounded on the first half scoring on a set piece in the 44th, getting to the back post for a redirection off a Franson free kick.
"It was a slow start, a little sloppy," Lentini said. "I think we rushed things. There's a fine line between playing quick and making those precise decisions, and playing rushed. I think we did a lot of blind passes, I think a lot of excitement of trying to get a goal and then making some rushed decisions to do that. But we got past it and we finished.
"It was good to finally see the connection and the passed work and a good solid finish. We had connection and then we wouldn't have a good finish. Then we might have a really good opportunity, but we had a sloppy way of finding it. They grouped up, made good connecting passes and finished well."
The momentum carried into the second for the Hodags. After shots off the frame of the goal by Sturzl and Franson in the 47th and 53rd minutes, both made good on scoring chances a mere 43 seconds apart. Sturzl got on the end of a long ball and scored in the 54th minute. Franson had a similar goal to complete her hat trick in the 55th.
Mosinee broke up the shutout in the 71st minute as Aili Makela sent a pass into the box to Michelle Weinberg, who struck a one-hopper past keeper Abby Oettinger. The Indians nearly scored again a couple of minutes later but Kyla Herman misfired right on an open look inside the Hodag box.
"We got a little sloppy in some areas," Lentini said. "It's always hard when you start getting a lead and you kind of put your guard down. We need to work on that. We need to stay on our toes. We need to make sure we're all ready - from bench to starters - coming out to do their part.
"We sort of fell apart and let that goal in but, I think that we regrouped, stepped up, got our formation back and kept plugging away."
Zettler scored a goal for the road in the 89th minute, tapping in a Sturzl centering pass from the byline.
Rhinelander outshot Mosinee 34-6 for the match. Oettinger recorded two saves in the victory.
The Hodags were back in action Friday against winless Antigo in a game that concluded after deadline. Assuming Rhinelander wins that game, it could clinch a sixth-straight GNC title with a win Tuesday at Ashland.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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