September 13, 2021 at 8:46 a.m.
Lakeland downs Rhinelander 2-0 in GNC showdown
Lakeland downs Rhinelander 2-0 in GNC showdown
Yaroslav Myshchyshyn scored twice and Lakeland fended off Rhinelander 2-0 in a battle of a pair of 2-0 teams in GNC play.
Myshchyshyn, who has 20 goals in eight games so far for the Thunderbirds, converted a penalty kick in the 21st minute and added another goal in the 50th minute.
"We knew Yaroslav is a top-notch player. Yeah, you're going to give him a PK that's a pretty easy thing to finish on. The other was a beautiful cross in front of the net and he finished it," Hodag coach Nathan Bates said. "It was a tough game, a very evenly-matched game and we'll go back again. The kids played their hearts out. That's all I can really say about out it. The defense, in my opinion, played top-notch tonight. We had a really good defensive game."
Statistics were virtually dead even in the contest, with Rhinelander holding slight edges in total shots (15-14) and corner kicks (5-3). Both teams had six shots on goal in the match.
Lakeland was the only side to find the back of the net, however. Myshchyshyn converted from the spot in the 21st minute after Neil Weigel was called for tripping Lakeland's Gabe Rein inside the penalty area as the Hodag defense scrambled to recover after a T-Bird breakaway.
Myshchyshyn scored again exactly 50 minutes into the match. He created slight separation after receiving a corner kick in the Hodag box and placed a low shot inside the left post, beating Rhinelander's Gavin Ostermann.
The majority of Rhinelander's pressure came in the back half of the first 40 minutes. The Hodags had five of their six shots on goal between the 22nd and 36th minutes, included a breakaway chance by Beau Howard that Lakeland's Carter Quade denied with a diving save.
"We had our opportunities to finish, we just didn't do it. We had some 1-on-1s with the goalkeeper. The goalie had a couple good saves," Bates said.
The Hodag attack was hindered by the absence of junior forward Shane Petrick, who missed the match after aggravating a hip injury late in a win Sept. 2 at Northland Pines.
"It hurt pretty bad not have Shane out there," Bates said. "That's a big hinder, but even with Shane not in this evening, I can't complain. Mason (Shinners) did a great job, Will (Gretzinger), Beau, all of them."
Lakeland controlled the first 20 minutes in the run-up to Myshchyshyn's first goal. The Hodags have had a penchant of starting slow in all three of their conference matches to date.
"I don't understand what's going on there," Bates said. "It just seems like it takes them a few minutes to really get into the groove of things. Then they turn it on and look great. We're a slow starter this year for some reason. Hopefully that turns around before it's too late."
Rhinelander 10, Merrill 0
The Hodags bounced back on Saturday with their largest offensive output of the season, defeating Merrill 10-0 on the road at Jay Stadium.
Rhinelander led 7-0 by halftime and finished the game off via the 10-goal mercy rule with less than two minutes remaining before full time.
"We played a lot of the kids today," Bates said. "We got a chance to work on some stuff, on finishing and passing and just possession in the middle part of the field. It was a great game. The kids put a good effort in today. The midfield looked really good. A lot of kids got some opportunities today and the kids had fun."
Braden Mork led the way with three goals for Rhinelander, while Howard and Shinners each scored twice. Weigel, Gretzinger and Will Quinn also scored. The Hodags dominated the match, outshooting Merrill 45-1 overall.
Ostermann played into the second half for Rhinelander, recorded one save, before swapping his keeper's jersey for a regular uniform and playing in the field late in the contest.
"Probably the last 20 minutes or so of the second half, the kids were just trying to get Gavin a goal," Bates said. "The kids were making a mission to get him to score."
The Hodags return to action this afternoon at Mosinee, which comes in off a 3-0 victory at Medford on Thursday.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
Comments:
You must login to comment.