September 5, 2018 at 2:25 p.m.
RHS soccer draws, loses in Delavan
RHS soccer draws, loses in Delavan
That was the story for Rhinelander, which played to a 2-2 tie against Racine Case in its first game of the day but then was blasted 8-0 by defending Division 3 state runner-up Delavan-Darien.
"As good of defense we played against Racine Case, we played that bad against Delavan. We just couldn't keep it together," coach Dan Millot said, noting that Case and Delavan had played to a 2-2 tie earlier in the day.
That being said, Millot called the day a learning experience for his team, both individually and collectively.
"One of the things we continue to learn is what individual players can provide to the team," he said. "We had the opportunity to play a lot of young players, freshmen, to see if they're ready to contribute. Some of the are, some of them aren't."
"You look at what we need to do from a team standpoint, tactically and skill-wise, and there are definitely some area that we are going to start hammering on in practice. It's things that are going to make us a better team going forward. We're going to learn from our mistakes and fix them."
Hugh Wiese's 10th-minute goal gave the Hodags an early lead in the match against Racine Case, which drew level on a goal in the 27th minute.
Case took the lead on a goal in the 38th minute, which held up until Hunter Hicks answered with the equalizer in the 56th minute of a 70-minute match.
Rhinelander salvaged a draw despite an 18-9 disparity in shots in favor of Racine Case. Josh Randolph made nine saves in the tie for Rhinelander.
"The first game, we won the majority of the 50-50 balls," Millot said. "Overall, I thought we played pretty well. Being non-conference games, I filled my roster with players that split time between varsity and JV. Everybody got a chance to play."
Delavan-Darien scored five times in the first half and cruised past the Hodags in the second game.
Randolph and freshman Gavin Ostermann split time in goal during the Delavan-Darien match. Randolph recorded eight saves while Ostermann tallied six.
Millot said both keepers had difficulty with footing on Saturday on fields that, like much of southern Wisconsin, have been inundated with rain over the last couple of weeks. Millot referred to the field conditions as "horrid."
"Because the field conditions were so poor, the goalies couldn't keep their footing," he said. "They'd try to plant to make a dive and they would slide. If you're an offensive player, if you can just get that keeper to move, you can basically tap a ball in."
Rhinelander (1-2-2, 0-0-1 Great Northern hosts Mosinee tonight at Mike Webster Stadium with kickoff slated for 7 p.m.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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