September 15, 2017 at 2:03 p.m.
Goals near halftime spur Hodags to 3-1 win
Goals near halftime spur Hodags to 3-1 win
Hugh Wiese scored with less than three minutes remaining in the first half and Jonus Sabani found the back of the net only 15 seconds into the second as the Hodags tripled their lead and rolled the rest of the way past the second-place Raiders in a Great Northern Conference tilt.
"That momentum definitely put the pressure on Medford," Hodag coach Dan Millot said. "It was just a whole different mentality."
Sabani scored twice for a second consecutive game. His first goal came in the 10th minute on a shot from near the top of the 18 off a cross by Daniel Ritchie.
The rest of the half was primarily played in Medford half of the field as the Raiders were conservative in their tactics, waiting to catch Rhinelander off guard on a counterattack.
"We knew that Medford was going to try to play counter attacks and they literally just set back on defense," Millot said. "They had four defenders that never crossed midfield, sometimes five. They let us bring the ball to them.
"We out-possessed them. We outplayed them. The one goal that they did score was late in the game. We had changed out lineup a little bit and it was just one of those fluke things that happens."
That one goal was tallied by Sam Hallgren in the 73rd minute but, by then, the result had all but been decided.
As it turned out, the Hodags two scores on either side of the halftime break proved to be the difference in the match. Wiese, a diminutive freshman, slipped through the Medford back line on a service by Sabani in the 43rd minute and did the rest to put the Hodags ahead 2-0.
"I think Hugh caught them by surprise," Millot said. "He was under a lot of pressure but he stayed composed going into the box and he was just able to tap it past the goalkeeper."
Rhinelander used a series of give-and-go passes of the second half kickoff to score its 46th-minute goal. Matthew Von Oepen set up Sabani, who beat a defender inside the 18-yard box and finished the goal.
Rhinelander virtually doubled up Medford in total shots (20-9) and shots on goal (12-6). Hodag keeper Josh Randolph made five saves in the win.
The Hodags moved to 5-0-0 halfway through the Great Northern Conference with the win, and got some added help in the conference race when Mosinee knocked off Northland Pines 2-1 Thursday afternoon in Eagle River. Rhinelander is now two games clear of Northland Pines and Medford in the conference standings. Mosinee is fourth, 2 1/2 games back.
"I'm just happy that we could finish the first half of the conference season undefeated at 5-0. We'll look to start the second half next week," Millot said.
Rhinelander will be in Weston this weekend for an invite at the D.C. Everest soccer complex. The Hodags played Wausau West Friday in a match that concluded after deadline and will face Stevens Point at 1 p.m. Saturday.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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