April 29, 2021 at 12:29 p.m.
Team preview: RHS girls' soccer
Team preview: RHS girls' soccer
The COVID-19 pandemic, despite all the adversity it brought, might have been exactly what the program needed. A canceled season allowed the team some time to take a breath, and refocus on the future.
Though the team still has lofty goals for this season, the stress of meeting high expectations has been replaced with an eagerness to simply get back out on the field.
"I think not having the season last year actually eliminated that pressure, just because there seems to be a lot of hunger now to have something happen," he said. "Everyone's excited to be back on the pitch. Parents are excited to see their daughters play. Even the officials are excited to be back on the pitch. I think the pressure is eliminated with excitement.
We will begin to learn a lot more about this year's Hodag side beginning this coming Tuesday as Rhinelander hosts Mosinee at Mike Webster Stadium, kicking off a condensed 12-game regular season schedule over the next month before the start of the WIAA tournament.
The Hodags lost plenty from the squad that went 11-5 two years ago, finished second in the GNC and drew a No. 1 seed in the WIAA tournament before losing in the sectional semifinal round to eventual state qualifier Marshfield. Yet a lot of teams are in the same boat as they near their first game action in two years.
Rhinelander has the fortune of returning three all-GNC players from the 2019 season, led by senior goalkeeper Kahlie Arneson, who was a unanimous first-team pick as a sophomore. Overall, Arneson was 10-5 in goal with a 1.17 goals against average and a .822 save percentage.
"She's leading the team with her knowledge, the voice from the back and is definitely one of the most valuable players that we have on the team," Kotula said. "It's difficult to score on Kahlie. I'm pretty sure the teams in the conference know it too. They've seen her multiple times. With our stingy defense in front of her, that's going to be a struggle for a lot of teams."
Midfielder Gwyn Lowry (5 goals, 3 assists) and forward Ella Schiek (6 goals, 2 assists) are also back after receiving honorable mention in the GNC two seasons ago. Those three, along with junior forward McKenna Brown, are serving as team captains this spring and figure to form the nucleus of the squad.
"I do feel that we do have valuable players that have had some recognition as sophomores ... Now, as seniors, they're elevating their game even more," Kotula said. "McKenna is another player that has put a lot of effort into the offseason. She's been going to the workout room very often and working on her skillset, her finishing, her distribution. She was also be one of those players that will be hard to stop."
Seniors Kat Metropulos and Rachel Steffen are the two other returning players who tallied points in GNC play for the Hodags in 2019. Kotula said Rachel Steffen, her younger sister Eleanor, and Abbey Henrichs will all provide veteran leadership in the back for the Hodags this year.
Joining with them will be a crop of freshmen and sophomores who are eager for their first varsity action. Among that group, Kotula pointed to sophomore Ava Lamers, sophomore Aubrey Younker and freshman Emma Chiamulera as players who could make an immediate impact.
"Ava Lamers is going to be a significant part of the team," he said. "Her heart is soccer. She's played soccer since early, early age, is committed to it all year round, goes to camps and goes to Stevens Point very often. She truly strives to be better every single day. She's going to make a big impact this year.
"Emma Chiamulera is another person who will be making a great impact on defense," Kotula added. "Aubrey Younker has been working very hard and improving her game."
The Hodags are in an interesting position this year. The team is not large in numbers - only 25 were on the roster for Monday's first day of practice. But within those 25 players, Kotula feels he has plenty of depth and versatility, which he's hoping will be the team's biggest asset.
"The thing we are doing with the girls this year is starting to rotate them into different positions as well," he said. "The player that's perhaps starting in the midfield will know exactly what to do as a striker. The wings will get into defense and know how to defend, and vice versa. It's going to create an overall knowledge of the game for the girls, and a little frustration from the other teams because the way we start it may not be the way we play in the middle of the game, or even the end of the game. It will be hard to figure out who's located where."
That versatility, Kotula said, should help create a reactive outfit that and transition quickly from offense to defense, and vice versa.
The Hodags will need all hands on deck in the GNC race. While the conference race is difficult to handicap given the amount of turnover over the last two seasons, Ashland figures to be in position to make a run at its third straight conference title. The Oredockers return five all-conference players from two years ago, including reigning GNC offensive player of the year Claire Custer.
"Yes, they're returning players. We also are returning great players as well," Kotula said. "I think the level of play is still very much equal and it will be a very close game on both sides. We're hoping to play them twice, in that second part of the season and the four best teams play again. I'm really hoping we will play them twice and it's going to be a close battle. It's going to be an exciting battle to see for sure."
Kotula said Lakeland, which also returns three All-GNC picks, including first-teamer Sophia Myshchyshyn, will be in the mix this year. He added that no one else in the conference should be taken lightly.
"We are not going to be underestimating anyone," he said. "We're going to go into every single game as if it was our last game. It's going to be such a short season, we have to be thinking in a way where we need to be fighting the best battle we can each time we play."
Ultimately, Kotula said he believes the squad has the talent to vie for its first conference title since 2017 and, if the cards fall right, perhaps its first trip to the WIAA state tournament since 2015.
"The goal of the team is to be on the top of the conference," he said. "The ladies and the coaches agree that we'd like to strive for being on top of the conference. We want to strive to go as far as we can in postseason, and perhaps even face the state travel again. We know full well it's only happened twice in the whole history of Rhinelander soccer. It's not an easy challenge, but it's something if we work hard, we stay healthy and the chemistry of the team stays in sync really well, this is something that can be achievable."
This coming Tuesday's Mosinee contest if the first of six scheduled at home for Rhinelander this year, plus any additional home games that might be scheduled during GNC second round, or WIAA tournament, play.
The team will be playing on the artificial turf at Mike Webster Stadium for the first time and, will play May 13 against Antigo in the Hodag Dome, as Mike Webster Stadium is hosting the Hodag Invitational track meet that afternoon.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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