June 1, 2018 at 12:48 p.m.
Soccer: Hodags blank Waupaca 9-0 in tourney opener
RHS to face Medford this afternoon in regional finals
Soccer: Hodags blank Waupaca 9-0 in tourney opener
Anna Sturzl had three goals and three assists as the Hodags routed Waupaca 9-0 in a WIAA Division 3 regional semifinal at the RHS soccer fields.
Izzy Haverkampf added a pair of goals and four others got in the scoring act as Rhinelander waltzed its way into the regional finals this afternoon at home against Medford.
"We kind of started out a little slow - slow in a sense that were feeling Waupaca out a little bit," Hodag coach Dan Millot said. "At the beginning of the game we forced things a little bit, had opportunities but didn't capitalize, but I think once we started to capitalize, things just started to come together."
To wit, it took Rhinelander until the 32nd minute to notch a 2-0 lead, but the Hodags scored three times in the final seven minutes of the first half and cruised in the second half, outshooting the Comets 42-3 in the process.
Rhinelander's senior duo of Sturzl and Alayna Franson carried the scoring load for much of the first half, with Sturzl opening the scoring off a Franson assist in the 10th minute. The roles reversed for Franson's goal in the 32nd. Sturzl finished off her hat trick with goals in the 39th and 44th minutes.
"Anna Sturzl and Alayna Franson stepped up huge," Millot said. "Anna had three goals and three assist. Alayna having one goal and two assists but she just dominated the midfield with passing, with ball possession and control. After the first couple of goals Waupaca kind of backed off Sturzl and Franson because they couldn't keep up with their speed. When you back off somebody, we did a nice job of adjusting to that and didn't force things."
Haverkampf added a goal with less than a minute to play in the opening stanza and Brooke Mork had the Hodags ahead 6-0 by the 50th minute.
Ella Schiek, Haverkampf and Kat Metropulos rounded out the scoring for the Hodags.
Freshman goalkeeper Kahlie Arneson, back in the lineup following a knee to the head that forced her out of the Ashland contest May 15, did not so much as touch the ball in the Hodag goal as she earned the win. Neither she nor senior Jada Appling, who played the second half of the match, faced a shot on goal.
"We played really good defense and did a nice job of possessing the ball," Millot said.
In Thursday's game, Millot noted that Waupaca compressed the area inside its penalty box defensively, forcing the Hodags to attack from the flanks. Medford employed a similar strategy when it lost 7-0 to the Hodags back on
May 3.
"We talked about that and I think the girls understand what needs to happen," Millot said. "We I think are on the same page now when it comes to what I think attacking from the outside means versus what the players think attacking from the outside means. We're going to look to widen the field even more, move their defense and try to move their keeper."
Millot added that Rhinelander cannot rest on the laurels of its earlier dispatching of the Raiders in today's rematch.
"In the playoffs, you've got to forget about what happened the first time and just go after them," Millot said. "I think what you do is you look at what we want to work on, based on how they've played us in the past. Medford, they're pretty much let's win the ball and let's transition as fast as possible. We'll shut down their transition and prevent them from getting the ball as much as possible."
Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at the RHS soccer fields.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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