May 9, 2018 at 1:48 p.m.
Hodag soccer blanks Pines 3-0, improves to 3-0 in GNC
Hodag soccer blanks Pines 3-0, improves to 3-0 in GNC
Jada Appling made four saves, the Hodags got two goals seconds apart in the 11th minute and the defense did the rest as Rhinelander cruised to a 3-0 win over Northland Pines Tuesday night in Eagle River.
It was Rhinelander's fifth straight shutout victory, all against Great Northern Conference opponents.
"Overall, we possessed the ball more than they did in this game and that really was the deciding factor," Rhinelander coach Dan Millot said.
The Hodags (5-2-0, 3-0-0 Great Northern) were up a pair of goals in a blink of an eye, thanks to some high pressure in the Northland Pines box. Freshman Marissa Martin charged in for a shot that was denied by Eagles' keeper Hadley Kruse on a diving stop, but the ball caromed out to Ella Schiek at the side of the 18-yard box and she deposited the ball in the top left corner before Kruse could regain her footing.
Rhinelander was right back down in the Northland Pines penalty area moments later, and a holding call on the Eagles defense awarded the Hodags a penalty kick, which Anna Sturzl converted to put Rhinelander up 2-0.
"I think that put Pines on their heels a little bit. It took a little wind out of their sails, initially," Millot said. "The goals we scored, nice goals. One was a PK. Still, they play that led up to that, pressure in the box, you try to make good things happen."
But, from there, the finishing touch that Rhinelander has lacked at times early in the season eluded the Hodags again. Izzy Haverkampf barely missed a Sturzl cross in the 30th minute and Sturzl couldn't redirect an Alayna Franson pass to the back post in the 31st. Schiek beat Kruse and nearly had her seconds into the 39th minute, only to watch a low, rolling shot be cleared off the line by Rowan Klaver at the last second.
There were several more misfires in the second half, most notably an open look on a loose ball inside the six-yard box by Jaden Olski that rocketed off the crossbar in the 70th minute.
In all, Rhinelander took 40 total shots and put 17 on net.
"You've got to finish those shots and the score should have been much higher than it was tonight but, at the same time, it is what it is," Millot said. "We continue to work on finishing every day and you can never duplicate what's happening in a game with the intensity, the excitement, the adrenaline but what you try to work on is getting the kids to be relaxed and composed."
Rhinelander did get some breathing room in the 59th minute as Franson converted on a direct free kick from roughly 22 yards away after getting fouled from behind by a Northland Pines defender.
Appling went the full 90 minutes in goal for Rhinelander in the shutout. Millot said initially the plan was to have her split time again with freshman Kahlie Arneson, but Arneson took a ball to the back of the head in pregame warmups and was held out of the contest.
"Jada stepped in tonight at the last minute to be in goal and I thought - for stepping in and realizing she wasn't going to start and all of a sudden she's starting - she did a really nice job for us," Millot said. "Two of her saves were nice, diving saves that she was spot on with. She did a really nice job."
One of those stops came on a hard shot by Madalyn Romatowski in the 54th minute, kicking off Northland Pines' best offensive spurt of the game. Twice in the following minute, Lauren Grosskopf got free in the Hodag defense and took two good looks, one that missed high and the other that glanced of the top right corner of the goal.
Grosskopf had one more scoring chance in the 85th minute, beating Appling to a loose ball on the left side of the Hodag box, but junior defender Brooke Mork cleared the ball from Grosskopf's feet before she could fire at an open net.
Rhinelander is preparing for a stretch of three games in three days, beginning with a GNC clash against Mosinee this afternoon at the RHS soccer fields. The Hodags then take off for Weston to take on Appleton North and Chippewa Falls Friday and Saturday at the D.C. Everest soccer complex.
"It's going to be a tough weekend," Millot said. "We're playing tough competition for our non-conference games, and that's not to overlook Mosinee because they play teams tough."
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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