October 18, 2021 at 8:46 a.m.
Hodag soccer downs Antigo 4-0 in regular season finale
Playoff matchup with Medford ahead Thursday
Hodag soccer downs Antigo 4-0 in regular season finale
Rhinelander dominated Thursday's match against the Red Robins, but did not score until the 46th minute before opening the floodgates and cruising to a 4-0 victory at Mike Webster Stadium.
The Hodags dominated possession and scoring chances in the first half, outshooting the Robins 25-4, but did not have anything on the scoreboard to show for their efforts. Finally, Shane Petrick ended the drought, scoring the first of his two goals in the 46th minute. Rhinelander scored three more times in just over a three-minute stretch later in the half to put the game away.
"We had a lot of opportunities, a lot of shots right at the goalkeeper but the second half we dominated," Hodag coach Nathan Bates said.
In a way, Thursday's game mirrored the regular season for the Hodags, who had mustered only eight goals through their first seven games in Great Northern Conference play. Rhinelander had 10 goals over the final three conference contests and hopes to carry that form into this coming Thursday's playoff opener at Medford.
"They have been finishing, which is good to see," Bates said. "Early on in the year we were having some trouble with finishing and, lately, we've been able to put some balls in the back of the net."
As for Thursday's match, a change in the attacking philosophy in the second half seemed to be the difference against an Antigo side that committed the majority of its players to defense while hoping to catch Rhinelander flat-footed on the rare counterattack.
Three of Rhinelander's second half goals came on left-footed shots from outside the 18-yard box - over and through a wall of Antigo defenders.
"Antigo was stacking their box with eight defenders. It was hard. The kids were still trying to get through balls, getting inside on them," Bates said. "At halftime we had a conversation (and said), 'Hey guys, they're stacking the box with eight people. You have to stay to the top of the 18, hit some drop balls and hit some shots.' In the second half, they listened and they did that."
Petrick was the first to find success from long range, as he took a drop pass from Braden Mork and used the left foot to deposit the ball in the upper lefthand corner of the goal from roughly 20 yards out.
Tucker Frederickson scored from nearly the identical spot in the 63rd minute, sparking Rhinelander's decisive scoring run.
Sophomore Will Quinn scored his first of the season in the 66th minute. He dribbled into the box off a Kyle Wiese throw in and passed the ball through keeper Frank McKenna's legs to make it 3-0. Petrick added the capper 19 seconds later as he bent a shot from 28 yards just inside the right post.
The Hodags ended with a 51-8 edge in total shots for the match. Twenty-five of Rhinelander's chances were on goal.
"A lot of the kids had some really good shots tonight. They were shooting the ball, which was nice to see," Bates said.
Gavin Ostermann made five saves in the shutout for Rhinelander, the team's fifth of the season and first since blanking the Robins by a matching 4-0 score in Antigo Sept. 16.
With playoff seeded determined prior to the game, there was not much on the line in Thursday's contest, aside from final placement in the GNC. The Hodags finished tied for third in the conference with Medford, which defeated Northland Pines 4-2 on Thursday.
Because of that, Bates said, he used Thursday's contest as part playoff tune-up, and part exhibition in the Hodags' final home game of the season.
"It was fun to get some of the younger kids some playing time tonight, which we usually try to do once we get up a certain amount of goals, move some kids around, give some kids some playing time up top," he said. "The kids still played tonight. A lot of times, I'm not going to say we play down to the competition but sometimes then fall into that category where if they're playing a team that not as strong of an opponent they'll kind of dumb it down a little bit and play. Tonight, I feel we didn't do that. The kids were hungry. They went after every ball. They still were aggressive tonight and I think it will help us in the long run."
Now the attention turns to the WIAA tournament as Rhinelander received the fifth-seed in a nine-team draw last weekend and will face fourth-seeded Medford Thursday night at Raider Field.
It marks the second straight year Rhinelander and Medford have meet in the postseason. The Raiders defeated Rhinelander 2-0 last October in the sectional semifinals as part of a run to the state tournament.
Overall, it will be the sixth meeting between the sides over the last two seasons. Medford has won three of the last five and - aside from a 7-0 rout where Rhinelander rested its starters at the end of the regular season last year - the contests have all been decided by two goals or fewer.
Rhinelander defeated Medford 1-0 in Medford back on Aug. 31. The Raiders won the rematch 2-0 in Rhinelander Sept. 23.
"We're going to go out there and expect a tough game like always," Bates said. "I think if we finish, we are going to put them away. Last time we had, by far, the better pressure on them the whole game and we had the better opportunities. We just couldn't finish when we played them last time."
The Hodags outshot Medford 25-10 when the teams played in Rhinelander, but Zach Rudolph's two goals were the difference in the match.
The winner of Thursday's game will likely get top-seeded Lakeland on Saturday in the regional final round. Lakeland will take on the winner of this afternoon's play-in game between Ashland and Antigo Thursday night.
Though the T-Birds are conference champs, they struggled to a 1-2-1 mark over their final four regular season games, including a 4-4 draw with Rhinelander Oct. 5 in Minocqua.
"They're not unbeatable, as we know," Bates said. "They're a very good team. They're a very well-coached team and they have one of the best players in the state (in sophomore Yaroslav Myshchyshyn), but I'm still going to bet on my boys right now. If they continue to put the pressure on like they have been, I'm going to put my money on them."
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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