September 23, 2021 at 2:48 p.m.
Everest rallies in second half to retain Hammer
Everest rallies in second half to retain Hammer
Everest scored twice in the second half as it rallied from behind to defeat Rhinelander 2-1 at Mike Webster Stadium.
The Evergreens controlled much of the game, outshooting the Hodags 22-8, but did not grab the lead until Garrison Peak's strike in the 61st minute.
"Everest definitely had the better end of it, but the thing I saw tonight is the boys played together as a team and they played a full 80 minutes. They didn't shut down once," Rhinelander coach Nathan Bates said. "They have a great team. They have a lot of speed and good ball work all over their team. My boys came out tonight and I can tell you right now, I'm 100% proud of everything they did tonight."
Everest timed a number of runs in the first half to create breakaway chances. The Evergreens had a hard time putting those chances on frame, and Rhinelander keeper Gavin Ostermann turned aside the chances that did, as the Hodags led 1-0 at the half.
Everest tied it in the 46th minute as Colin Belton ripped a hard shot from the top of the 18-yard box that slipped through Ostermann's hands and into the back of the net. Peak assisted on the goal and scored what proved to be the game winner in the 61st minute. Rhinelander cleared a ball that remained inbounds off the corner flag, which caused play to be disjointed for a moment. Raul Rosales eventually gained possession at the top of the 18 and dropped the ball back to Peak for a drive from 23 yards past a diving Ostermann inside the right post.
Bates said, Everest's speed put his defense back on its heels early in the second half, which afforded the Evergreens the space in the midfield for their two goals.
"In the second half we did come out slightly scared on the defensive end. We kind of gave them the middle part of the field for the first 15 minutes of the second half," he said. "That was the end result on that. The defense got a little gun-shy. We were up on them at the time and it happened. Once we corrected that, things changed around again and the boys finished up the game really strong, I thought."
Beau Howard had Rhinelander's lone goal. He made a spin move past an Everest defender at the top of the 18 on an Andrew Henrichs pass and finished the 1-on-0 opportunity in the 17th minute.
"We got up on them right away. We had some decent looks. Andrew had a great pass and Beau had a great finish on that," Bates said.
Rhinelander managed only four shots on goal in the match and its best chances in the second half came from set pieces as twice the Hodags drew fouls just outside the Evergreens' 18. Braden Mork hooked a pair of free kicks around the Everest wall, but keeper Jacob Lorge was able to deny both chances which were tracking just inside the right goalpost.
"He had a couple of really beautiful looks out there and the keeper had some big saves. The one blew my mind that he got it. That's what we need to keep doing moving forward throughout the season," Bates said.
Ostermann recorded eight saves in defeat for Rhinelander.
Tuesday's game marked the 15th playing of the Hammer Game, a series that started somewhat lightheartedly in 2004 when Rhinelander found a sledgehammer sitting behind its bench prior to a game at D.C. Everest.
Everest holds a 10-5-0 advantage in the series. The teams did not play last year in a schedule condensed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Everest won 6-0 over Rhinelander when the sides met in 2019.
The loss dropped the Hodags to 5-4-2 as it prepared to begin the second half of the Great Northern Conference season at home Thursday against Medford, which concluded after deadline.
Next up, Rhinelander travels to Three Lakes for a non-conference match on Tuesday.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
Comments:
You must login to comment.