May 31, 2019 at 4:29 p.m.
Hodag soccer set to host tourney opener
Hodag soccer set to host tourney opener
The Hodags bumped back up to Division 2 this year after reaching the D3 sectional finals last season, but still drew the No. 1 seed in their half sectional. They open tournament play this afternoon against fourth-seeded Merrill in a regional championship game at the RHS soccer fields.
Rhinelander received a first-round bye in the seven-team bracket while Merrill defeated Hortonville 3-0 in the tournament opener on Tuesday. It was only the second win for the Bluejays (5-13-1) in the month of May. The other was a 3-0 win over Antigo May 21.
First-year head coach Richard Kotula, a veteran of many RHS postseason runs as an assistant coach under Dan Millot, said while today's match seems to favor Rhinelander on paper, his side cannot let its guard down against a Merrill team that took its lumps this spring in the Wisconsin Valley Conference.
"That's probably danger No. 1. Having the No. 1 seed creates overconfidence," he said. "I would rather actually be the underdog and work hard in practices and from the very first minute of the game. But I think these girls understand that concept. They know we've got to play a full 90 minutes, and play 90 minutes of the soccer that we know.
"We can't be overconfident. They may come in on Saturday and play an entirely different game, too. We've just got to come in on Saturday. They've already beat one opponent, which gives them some confidence. We just can't get in our head as if we are better. We have to play an equal opponent and just work hard on the field."
The luxury of a first round bye is that much of the team was able to travel to Jay Stadium on Tuesday to watch the Merrill-Hortonville match. Kotula said what the Hodags saw was a Merrill side that outclassed the Polar Bears with their speed.
"Hortonville actually moved the ball really well, but Merrill used their speed to go 1-on-1 against goalies and beating the goalies," he said. "It was a good experience to see the teams play. We kind of expected Merrill to win the game. The girls had the opportunity to see the tactics Merrill was using against Hortonville."
Another thing Rhinelander saw was an athletic goalkeeper in senior Kaylee Bowe, who was tested plenty in Wisconsin Valley Conference play. Bowe went 1-10-0 in WVC play with a .725 save percentage and a 4.64 goals against average, but she saw the ball come her way plenty of times. She faced at least 10 shots on goal in all but one of the conference games she played this spring, and recorded 28 saves in a 7-0 loss to eventual WVC champ D.C. Everest.
"Their keeper looks very confidence in the goal, very athletic," Kotula said. "She was challenging all those balls (Tuesday against Hortonville), stopped the 1-on-1s as well. We know there's going to be a challenge and that they need to work on their finishing. It's definitely that we'll work on in practice."
The Bluejays did not generate much offense in Valley play, finishing last in the seven-team league with only three goals scored. McKenna Smith, Journey Smith and Audrey Ladewig recorded the tallies for Merrill.
With a win, Rhinelander would advance to the sectional semifinal round of the WIAA tournament - a level the Hodags have reached five of the last six years - and would host the winner of this afternoon's Marshfield-Wausau East contest.
Kickoff is slated for 5 p.m. at the RHS soccer fields.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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