September 1, 2017 at 3:24 p.m.
Hodag soccer blanks Lakeland 3-0 in GNC battle
Hodag soccer blanks Lakeland 3-0 in GNC battle
The Hodags got a pair of first-half goals from Matthew Von Oepen and cruised past Lakeland 3-0 at Mike Webster Stadium in a battle of the conference's top two teams from a season ago.
Jonus Sabani had the other goal for Rhinelander (4-1-1, 2-0-0 Great Northern) moments into the second half. The Hodags dominated the match against the T-Birds who were without star forward Kieran Mullen due to injury.
"I thought we put in a good effort and I know that Lakeland was missing their best player, but I thought, from our standpoint, we worked the ball well today," Rhinelander coach Dan Millot said. "We made some opportunities happen and we missed some close shots. Mason (Holmquist), the goalkeeper from Lakeland, had some really nice saves tonight. He had three or four really nice saves. Without him, the score is definitely a lot worse than it was."
Von Oepen got the scoring started for the Hodags in the 18th minute, taking a shot from 35 yards that grazed off the bottom of the crossbar and into the back of the net. Then, with seconds remaining in the first half, Von Oepen cashed in on a pass from Hunter Hicks to put the Hodags ahead 2-0.
The play started with a Sabani run down the left flank. He took the ball deep to the corner and squared a pass to Hicks, who got it to Von Oepen for the finish.
Sabani added to the Hodags' lead less than two minutes into the second half off a pass from Von Oepen. After maneuvering around one defender, Sabani blasted a left-footed shot past Holmquist.
"(Von Oepen's) been striking the ball well. He and Jonus both have," Millot said. "It was nice to go into the half with that momentum. Then Lakeland get the kickoff in the second half and we basically take it from them, put more pressure on and are able to score a goal within 1 minute, 20 seconds. That was crucial."
Millot said the Hodags controlled possession most of the night and Lakeland, despite making some runs deep into the attacking third, was unable to mount many real scoring threats.
The Hodags outshot Lakeland 28-6 for the match.
"I think because of the way we possessed the ball tonight, it allowed me to pull some players out of the game, rest them and keep them healthy," Millot said. "For me, that was important as well. We got some kids some playing time and, overall, I'm pleased."
Mullen's absence had an impact on the game. He and Sabani are the only two returning first-team players from last year's All-Great Northern Conference team. Millot said Lakeland was a different team to defend without its top scoring threat.
"The kid is one of the best players in the conference and one player in this game can make the difference, especially when that kid can rocket shots from 35 yards out," he said. "He commands a presence from the opponents. I told the kids tonight if he was in the game, we had to know where he was all the time. When you have to be aware of someone like that, it kind of changes your game plan a little bit. When you don't have to worry about someone, you can just play them straight up and make them worry about you."
Josh Randolph recorded four saves for the Hodags, who turned in their third clean sheet of the season.
Rhinelander travels to Delavan-Darien today for a four-team tournament and will open play against Racine Park this morning.
Millot said two games against talented squads from the soccer-rich southern part of the state will serve his team well going forward.
"That's our goal, to get good competition, compete and make sure we come out healthy," he said.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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