May 11, 2018 at 1:13 p.m.
Hodag soccer downs Mosinee 9-0
Hodag soccer downs Mosinee 9-0
Rhinelander benefited from a penalty kick and a pair of own goals as it defeated the Indians 9-0 in a Great Northern Conference match at the RHS soccer fields.
Anna Sturzl had a hat trick in the contest and the Hodags were finally the benefactor of some good fortune as balls began to trundle across the goal line.
"We just need to keep sharpening our game and tonight we did not sharpen our game," Hodag coach Dan Millot said. "We possessed the ball quite a bit but there were opportunities in the game that were ugly. At the same time, there were some nice opportunities where we had some beautiful assists on some beautiful goals."
Sturzl converted a penalty kick in the eighth minute after Mosinee freshman Rachel Selle committed a handball foul inside the 18-yard box. The Hodags caught another lucky break in the 20th minute when Ella Schiek's crossing pass attempt struck Mosinee defender Kyla Herman's knee and caromed into the goal.
In the second half Mosinee keeper Madison Barber unwittingly stepped across the goal line with the ball following a long shot in the 66th minute.
Rhinelander was also on the end of some rebound opportunities. Sturzl's second came on a putback in the 39th minute, Maddie Meyer scored off a rebound in the 69th and Payton Van Zile was in the right place for a cross in the 81st minute as her shot struck the right goal post but had enough top spin to roll into the net.
Additionally there were some quality finishes in the match. Izzy Haverkampf put Rhinelander up 2-0 in the 16th minute after getting on the end of an Alayna Franson through ball. Sturzl finished her hat trick off a nice cross by Franson in the 53rd minute and Franson got into the scoring act herself with a goal from long range in the 63rd minute.
"Our outside wings, we did a nice job of coming up the flanks. We've been working on that, trying to bring things inside (from the corners). We'll continue to do that," Millot said.
A Mosinee team that had to call up some JV players just to field a starting 11 generated only one shot in the entire match. Rhinelander keeper Jada Appling was never challenged as the Hodags recorded their sixth straight shutout.
"I thought our back line, defensively, they stayed organized tonight," Millot said. "They weren't really pressured but they didn't make mistakes tonight. They were composed and we're starting to get more consistent play from all of them."
With the match firmly in hand by the 20th minute, Millot extended his bench, affording more kids more playing time. The move served a couple of purposes with it being Parents Night at RHS and the Hodags playing the first of three games in three days.
"Regardless of what was going to happen with (Friday) or Saturday with the schedule, with Parents Night and stuff kids needed to get a lot of playing time, and they did," Millot said. "There was quite a bit of playing time for all the kids tonight."
The Hodags played Appleton North at D.C. Everest Friday in a game that concluded after deadline. Rhinelander faces Chippewa Falls this afternoon at Everest before returning home Tuesday for a showdown with fellow GNC unbeaten Ashland.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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