October 13, 2017 at 12:15 p.m.
Hodags rally again
RHS beats Medford 2-1, finishes undefeated GNC season
Hodags rally again
Richie Triplett's redirection of a corner kick in the 72nd minute tied it and Freddy Wisner won it with a long-range shot in the 88th minute as the Hodags rallied to defeat Medford 2-1 at Mike Webster Stadium.
The win closed out a perfect GNC season for the Hodags (14-3-2, 10-0-0), who earned the top seed for their half of the Division 3 Rice Lake sectional and could very well face Medford again next Thursday in the regional semifinals.
If Thursday night's game was any indication, a rematch against the Raiders will be no bargain.
"Let's just say Medford came ready to play," Hodag coach Dan Millot said. "They had everything to win and nothing to lose. We played really complacent. We really weren't playing for anything, other than a perfect (conference) season - and I'm not saying that's not anything (important) - but we wanted to stay healthy for the playoffs. It was senior night, we tried to get them as much playing time as possible, and I didn't even get them as much playing time as I wanted to because we wanted the victory."
Rhinelander controlled possession most of the match, but had very few scoring opportunities to show for it. Medford, meanwhile, capitalized on one of its few scoring chances thanks to a cheeky set piece in the 58th minute.
After a foul just outside the Hodag penalty area, Medford's Sam Hallgren approached the ball as if he was going to take the direct free kick, but purposely whiffed on the ball. Armin Kliewe, who trailed closely behind Hallgren, took the kick and snuck a low shot through the Hodag wall that Rhinelander keeper Josh Randolph misplayed from his knees , allowing the ball to slide inside the right goal post.
That's the way the score stayed until the 72nd when Rhinelander cashed in on one of its four corner kicks in the match. Wisner served what Millot described as a "perfect ball" to the top of the six-yard box, where Triplett redirected it to square the match.
"It was definitely one of his better finishes of the year," Millot said.
Still it appeared Rhinelander and Medford were heading toward a draw until Wisner put forth an exploratory effort with just over two minutes remaining. He launched a shot from roughly 45 yards out that threaded its way over keeper Brady Hupf's outstretched arms and under the crossbar.
"That was a huge shot, big goal for us," Millot said. "What can you say, the ball had eyes and it found (the net). It was a nice shot, no doubt about it."
"I'm proud of Freddy. Freddy has struggled finishing this year and, as of late, he's scored a goal against Pines and now a goal against Medford. To be honest, if we want to be successful, we need people to score. We need to be a well-rounded team."
The Raiders packed their defense close to the goal much of the match, hoping to defuse any Hodag scoring chances while patiently waiting for a counter-attack opportunity of their own. With that came a very physical brand of soccer. The teams combined for 30 fouls in the match and three yellow cards were issued in the second half due to the rough play.
"I expected some of that from them because they are a physical team," Millot said. "I was just glad that we were able to get through unscathed as far as injuries were concerned because of that physical play."
Rhinelander outshot Medford 28-9 in the match. Randolph recorded two saves in the win for the Hodags, who for the third time this season won a conference game on a goal with less than three minutes remaining.
Medford (8-11-2, 4-6-0 Great Northern) will host Shawano Tuesday in a regional quarterfinal matchup. The winner will head to Rhinelander next Thursday to take on the Hodags, who earned the top seed and a first-round bye.
Millot said that top seed means nothing in a wide-open regional, especially if the Hodags don't show up to play a full 90 minutes.
"Hopefully it gives us a wake-up call," Millot said. "I told the team tonight they need to step on the pitch and be ready to play."
Thursday's game - and any subsequent playoff games for the Hodags through the sectional semifinal round - will be played in front of the high school at the RHS soccer fields. Work to fix drainage issues at Mike Webster Stadium is set to begin next week.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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