August 31, 2018 at 1:16 p.m.
Fit to be tied: RHS soccer plays to 0-0 draw with Lakeland
Fit to be tied: RHS soccer plays to 0-0 draw with Lakeland
Lakeland's Mason Holmquist made 17 saves and kept a clean sheet to preserve a 0-0 tie for the Thunderbirds at River Valley Bank Field in a game otherwise dominated by the Hodags.
Rhinelander outshot Lakeland 30-2 in the match and allowed only one shot on goal, yet Rhinelander left Minocqua with only a draw as it began the Great Northern Conference season.
"We absolutely had much better of the play," Hodag coach Dan Millot said. "I would conservatively say that out of the 90 minutes, we controlled the ball for 70. I would also say I think the stats say we outshot them 30-2 or something like that. We had opportunities to finish and we just couldn't put the ball in the back of the net. I'm happy with their effort though. They kids were playing intense. We were winning 50-50 balls. At times the games got extremely physical, but we made some good things happen. I'm definitely pleased with that."
Rhinelander had chances all night long, and still had a couple of looks late to score the golden goal. Hunter Hicks put a shot off the left post and Russell Benoy had a chance tipped over the bar by Holmquist in the final five minutes of the match. That was the story of the night for a Hodag offense that just couldn't buy a goal.
"We barely missed some shots. Like I said, we had opportunities, we just didn't make it happen," Millot said. "We didn't get the job done on the finishing end but, in every other aspect, we did much better than our home tournament. We're improving. I think some of the kids are starting to realize the potential this team has as a group. Now we just need to continue to work toward that."
Meanwhile, Lakeland's best chance came in the 69th minute when striker Brandon Boh rang a shot of the left woodwork. It was one of the few offensive opportunities the Hodags' allowed all night.
"Their play today was pretty predictable," Millot said of Lakeland's offense. "They liked to serve longer balls. They have a few players they're looking to get the ball to. We kind of keyed on those players. There were a few opportunities that they had, but you just sit back and make sure you bend and don't break."
Rhinelander keeper Josh Randolph was tasked with making only one save in the draw.
Rhinelander (1-1-1, 0-0-1 Great Northern) travels to Delavan-Darien today for a triangular. The Hodags will play Delavan-Darien, last year's Division 3 state runners-up as well as Racine Case.
"We're going down there to learn," Millot said. "We're going to step on the field and play our game. Some good things can happen as long as we put our heart and soul into what we are doing."
Freelance writer Matt Thompson contributed to this report from Minocqua.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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