October 14, 2020 at 12:26 p.m.
Undisputed champions
Hodags fend off Mosinee 3-2, claim GNC title outright
Undisputed champions
Matthew King kicked home the go-ahead goal in the 87th minute and the Hodags clinched the Great Northern Conference title outright Tuesday night with a 3-2 win over Mosinee at Mike Webster Stadium.
Technically, the Hodags did not need King's goal to lock up the conference crown. A tie at the end of regulation would have been enough for the Hodags, who were two games up on both Mosinee and Medford entering the night. But, King's strike to the top right corner off a Braden Mork cross was the final nail in the coffin for both Mosinee and Medford's hopes of a three-way split of the conference title by week's end.
"It was beautiful. Matthew King's been there twice this year to finish goals like that," Rhinelander coach Nathan Bates said. "He was right where he was supposed to be at the right time and he put a beautiful shot right in there.
"I'm so proud of these kids, it's unbelievable. They kicked butt all season. They exceeded my expectations all year. I haven't seen the word quit out of any of them. It's a great group of kids."
Twice in the second half, Rhinelander landed blows to Mosinee's conference title chances, only to see the Indians respond within a matter of seconds.
Hugh Wiese dispossessed a Mosinee player roughly 40 yards from goal in the 51st minute, dribbled to the top of the 18 and rifled a shot to the top right corner to put Rhinelander ahead 1-0, but Mosinee answered back roughly a minute later as Cole Holtz sent a cross from the left flank to Toren Holtz inside the box, and the conference's leading scorer finished from roughly 10 yards out to draw Mosinee level.
Rhinelander regained the lead in the 57th minute as Beau Howard took a Charlie Heck throw, beat Mosinee defenders up the middle of the field and tapped a shot past Mosinee keeper Keaton Weiloch. The Indians needed only 27 seconds to respond as Caden Claeys' shot hit the crossbar but Jake Neumann was there for the rebound.
"We knew coming into tonight they had a lot to lose if they didn't beat us," Bates said. "Our boys knew that too and, hell of a game. The kids went back and forth. We'd get one. They'd get one. We'd get one. They'd get one. It was just an intense game. Both teams had a lot of energy and both teams played very well tonight."
Even though a tie would have been good enough for Rhinelander, the Hodags did not let up on the attack down the stretch. Howard had a header cleared off the goal line by a Mosinee defender in the 71st minute and missed wide on a 1-on-0 breakaway moments before King's game winner.
"We wanted to win it outright. We didn't want to tie," Bates said. "We wanted to take it all the way and finish what we started at the beginning of the season. That was our goal and the kids accomplished it. I couldn't be prouder."
Rhinelander outshot Mosinee 24-18 for the match and had a 9-7 edge in shots on goal. Gavin Ostermann made five saves in the win.
Rhinelander 4, Three Lakes 2
The Hodags hoped to have a light workload for their starters in Monday night's non-conference matchup against Three Lakes but the Bluejays hung around and forced Rhinelander's starters to play late into the match before the Hodags came away with a 4-2 result.
Wiese scored twice, including the go-ahead penalty kick in the 69th minute, as the Hodags held off a pesky Bluejay side which made it a game late, despite getting outshot 44-19.
Rhinelander held a 28-4 shot advantage in the first half, but had nothing to show for their efforts as the majority of their shots either were off target or straight at Three Lakes keeper Hunter Meistad for routine saves.
Rhinelander finally got on the board in the 49th minute as Wiese possessed the ball through and around multiple Three Lakes defenders to create a 1-on-0 opportunity. His shot beat Meistad to the far post to put RHS ahead.
Howard tacked on a goal moments later, finishing off a Shane Petrick cross and the Hodags appeared to be on their way up 2-0. But Three Lakes answered quickly. Trevin Walkowski scored from the top of the 18 off a counter attack in the 52nd minute and Michael Janovsky rainbowed a shot from 40 yards on the near sideline in the 66th minute that arched just underneath the crossbar and over Ostermann's save attempt.
A foul on Three Lakes just inside its own 18 afforded Wiese a chance from the penalty spot in the 69th minute. He got Meistad leaning right and rifled a shot into the center of the net to give Rhinelander a 3-2 lead.
The Hodags tacked on an insurance goal from an unlikely source as freshman Will Gretzinger netted his first career varsity goal in the 75th minute, finishing off a 2-on-1 opportunity from Howard.
"It was a beautiful cross from Beau Howard over to Will," Bates said. "Will was right where he's supposed to be and he put a beautiful finish in."
Meistad made 19 saves in defeat for Three Lakes while Ostermann recorded seven stops in the win for Rhinelander.
Games for a cause
Each of the home games early this week honored causes the RHS boys soccer team has supported over the past several seasons. Monday was Law Enforcement appreciation night while Tuesday was the Hodags' annual Go Pink game for breast cancer awareness.
During halftime of Monday night's game, the team recognized several members of the Oneida County Sheriff's Office and Rhinelander Police Department who were on hand for the contest.
"The boys and the coaching staff here really wanted to recognize our local law enforcement for everything they do on a daily basis for our community," Bates said. "It's been a pretty tough year for law enforcement throughout the country. I thought that was the least we could do is bring them out tonight and thank them."
The Hodags donned their grey and pink uniforms Tuesday night against Mosinee. Pink is a color synonymous with breast cancer awareness.
Hodag earn top seed
The Hodags earned the No. 1 seed for the upcoming WIAA playoffs and will have home field advantage through the sectional semifinal round.
Rhinelander beat out GNC rival Medford for the top seed in the bracket and will play at home Saturday, Oct. 24 against the winner of a game between fourth-seeded Antigo and fifth-seeded Hayward that will take place in Antigo this coming Tuesday. Lakeland earned the No. 3 seed and will host sixth-seeded Ashland on Tuesday.
Entering Sunday's seeding meeting, the Hodags were 9-1-0 overall, including a head-to-head win over Medford, which was 6-3-0. The Raiders fell to Rhinelander 1-0 Sept. 15 on a game decided in the final 15 minutes after Medford had a player red carded for dangerous play. The Raiders then, depleted due to health issues, dropped back-to-back games against Lakeland the following week.
Rhinelander closed out the regular season at Medford on Thursday night in a game that concluded after deadline. Should the seeds hold, Rhinelander would host Medford in a sectional semifinal game Oct. 29.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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