November 2, 2020 at 8:12 a.m.
Hodag soccer falls to Medford in sectional semis
Hodag soccer falls to Medford in sectional semis
The Raiders scored twice in the second half, and that proved to be the difference as Medford knocked off Rhinelander 2-0 in a WIAA Division 2 Sectional Semifinal contest at Mike Webster Stadium.
Kale Klussendorf scored on a breakaway in the 50th minute and Zach Rudolph added a header off a corner kick to double the lead in the 67th minute.
Despite outshooting Medford 28-18, Rhinelander never found its way past Medford keeper Brady Hupf, who recorded 14 saves in the match.
Medford, which finished second in the Great Northern Conference behind the Hodags, defeated Rice Lake in penalty kicks Saturday to earn a trip to state, while Rhinelander was denied its first trip to the sectional finals since 2008.
"Hat's off to Medford, they played a tough game and so did we," Rhinelander coach Nathan Bates said. "They came out on top this time. We came out on top, first time, in conference and we'll see them again next year.
"I knew it was going to come down to a one- or two-goal game. It's hard to come back on a team that is pretty equal with us to overcome that."
Neither side was able to capitalize on some good scoring opportunities as the match remained knotted at 0-0 at halftime, but the Raiders broke through early in the second half.
Midfielder Aaron Schield found Klussendorf streaking up the field on the left flank and slotted a ball through the Hodag defense. Klussendorf received the pass in stride and finished the 2-on-1 breakaway against Rhinelander keeper Gavin Ostermann.
Schield assisted on Medford' second score as well, putting a corner kick on Rudolph's head for the redirection six yards from goal.
"The first goal that came in, I kept telling my outsides that we have to watch the runner on the outside and we got caught," Bates said. "Our midfielder didn't drop into place where he's supposed to be, picking up what we call the garbage on the outside. He overlooked it and they got away with it. The other one, it was a beautiful header, set piece."
Rhinelander's leading scorer, Hugh Wiese, who was limited in the Hodags' regional final win over Antigo, was off and on the field several times in the match. He went down in the Medford penalty area following contact early in the second half and had to leave for a spell. Without specifying, Bates said Wiese was dealing with a separate issue than what slowed him down in the Antigo match, and that he was hurt further during the second-half collision.
"Hugh got hurt early in the second half there which, in my opinion should have been a penalty kick (for) us. He got hurt and it took him out of the game pretty much. That hurt us a lot," Bates said. "It was unfortunate. He was out for quite a bit after that. Medford plays a physical game and they're a great team. It came down to a couple of opportunities and that's where it was."
Though Rhinelander had the better of the shot total, the Hodags struggled to generate quality scoring chances. The ones they had either sailed wide or were knocked away by Hupf.
"Their goalkeeper tonight had some great saves and had a big game," Bates said. "First half, we definitely put the pressure on them and we had a lot of opportunities. In the second half, we came out strong again. We had a lot of opportunities down the field at them. There were a couple of things we didn't capitalize on. We were trying to outrun No. 21 (Ty Baker) back there and I told the boys we had to outpass them, we couldn't outrun them."
Ostermann tallied eight saves in defeat for Rhinelander.
Rhinelander ends its season with a 12-3-0 record and its first trip to the sectional semifinal since 2017, when it was also upset as the No. 1 seed at home. The Hodags also were Great Northern champions for the first time since 2017 and were vastly improved from last year's 3-8-6 campaign.
"I told the boys hold your heads up high. We had a great season," Bates said. "Tonight, they left everything out on the field. That's all I could ask out of them. I had a great group of kids and it's probably one of the funnest seasons I've had coaching soccer has been with this group of boys. Great group of kids and I'm going to miss (seniors) Joseph (Heck), Billy (Berwig) and Hugh tremendously next season."
In a season shortened and altered by the COVID-19 pandemic, Bates said to have the season end on the field, and not due the virus, was a victory.
"We didn't think we were going to have a postseason, let alone get this far," he said. "All I can say is I'm extremely proud of these kids for everything they've overcome this year and to have gotten this far in the season."
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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