October 7, 2020 at 1:24 p.m.
Rhinelander rallies past Mosinee 2-1, builds commanding two-game lead in GNC
Rhinelander rallies past Mosinee 2-1, builds commanding two-game lead in GNC
"Typically you get against Hugh on a 1-on-1 like that, it's not usually very good in the end," he said.
The end result was not very good for Mosinee's Great Northern Conference title chances, but great for Rhinelander's. Wiese converted the breakaway goal with roughly 6 1/2 minutes to play and the Hodags rallied to defeat Mosinee 2-1 at Edgewood Park in a battle of the top two teams in the conference standings.
After starting 4-0-0 in conference play, Mosinee has now dropped three straight. Conversely, Rhinelander (8-1-0, 6-1-0 Great Northern) has responded mightily to its only loss of the season Sept. 24 at Northland Pines. The Hodags have won three straight since and, following Tuesday's play, held a two-game lead over Mosinee, Medford and Northland Pines in the conference standings with three games remaining.
The win wasn't easy for the Hodags who, despite having the better of play most of the match, stared at a 1-0 deficit for a majority of the game following Toren Holtz's 10th-minute strike. Beau Howard pulled the Hodags level in the 67th minute and Wiese delivered the knockout blow with his sixth goal in seven conference games.
"The boys never quit," Bates said. "They came back. We put a beautiful cross in from Shane to Beau and then Hugh, as always, pulls it off in the end here and got another one for us to finish the game up."
Holtz scored his conference-leading 15th goal of the season after the Hodags had trouble clearing a corner kick. The ball caromed in the box momentarily before Holtz finished on the back post.
Though Rhinelander amassed 14 shots in the first half, only two were on goal as the Hodags squandered several quality chances to draw level. Shane Petrick couldn't connect on a Hugh Wiese cross at the top of the 6 in the 12th minute, Howard clanged a shot off the post on a breakaway in the 17th minute, Andrew Henrichs misfired from 12 yards in the 30th minute and Howard missed wide right following a throw-in in the 40th minute.
"Early in the game we missed some pretty easy opportunities," Bates said. "We put a lot of pressure on their frame and we just missed, otherwise it could have been a different result, probably 5 or 6-1 game.
"The talk at halftime was just telling the boys, you don't quit. You don't lose. We talked to the boys a little bit, told them to keep their composure and try to get some more (shots) on frame and settle themselves down a little bit, not force things to happen. That's the big thing, if you try forcing things to happen, a lot of times it doesn't go our way."
The start of the second went much like the first for the Hodags, except that shots that had been missing the frame of the goal turned into shots straight on keeper Keaton Wieloch for routine saves. Finally, the Hodags caught a break in the 67th minute as Petrick sent a ball through the Mosinee defense to Howard.
Howard, Wieloch and Mosinee defender Ethan Tazelaar met at the ball at roughly the same time at the top of the 6, but Howard was able to get just enough of his right foot on the ball to steer it past Wieloch and inside the right post for the equalizer.
It was a similar story late as Wiese jumped over a Gatlin Rogers slide tackle attempt to go on an unobstructed run to the Mosinee goal and, perhaps, the Great Northern Conference title.
"I'm pretty proud of him. We put him up top for that reason, got him up there and were waiting for one to come up there to finish it out," Bates said.
Rhinelander outshot Mosinee 31-24 in the contest. The Hodags had a 9-7 edge in shots on goal and won a physical affair that featured 29 fouls called. Gavin Ostermann recorded six saves in the Hodag victory.
Rhinelander had an opportunity to clinch a share of the GNC crown Thursday afternoon in a game at Antigo that concluded after deadline. Should the Hodags get past the last-place Robins, either a win this coming Tuesday at home against Mosinee, or on the road next Thursday at Medford would lock up an undisputed conference championship - which would be Rhinelander's first conference title in three years.
"We're just going to continue doing what we're doing," Bates said. "We're going to go Thursday and play like it's our last game of the year again against Antigo and we're going to continue playing."
The Hodags will host Three Lakes in a non-conference game Monday night at Mike Webster Stadium.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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