May 12, 2022 at 8:58 a.m.
Hodag soccer keeps rolling
RHS downs Medford 4-0 for 11th straight win
Hodag soccer keeps rolling
Ava Lamers scored twice Tuesday night and the Hodags won their 11th straight game defeating Medford 4-0 at Mike Webster Stadium. It was Rhinelander's seventh straight shutout win during its dominant stretch of play.
A tactic employed by overmatched Great Northern Conference opponents, like Medford on Tuesday, is becoming a common theme. Teams are dedicating as much personnel as possible to the defense in an effort to slow down Rhinelander's offense, while hoping to get lucky on a surprise counterattack.
"They were doing similar to what Mosinee (did), stacking a lot in the box, which we're going to be anticipating the rest of the season," Hodag coach Nathan Bates said, referring to Medford. "Every time we were trying to get in there, there were six or seven of their defenders in the box. We dominated most of the play tonight and we were able to chip away at them and put some goals in the back of the net."
Freshmen Sophie Miljevich and Leah Weigel also scored for the Hodags, who outshot the Raiders 32-6 in the match.
Scoreless much of the way in the first half, Miljevich got the Hodags on the board in the 27th minute on Tuesday. Lamers served a ball from the midfield to Morgan Van Zile on the right wing, who chipped it into the box for Miljevich. From there, Miljevich drilled a shot past Medford keeper Sophia Brunner for her 10th goal of the season.
"Soph was there to plow through the defense and finished. She did a great job," Bates said. "She's aggressive and she continues to impress me every single game."
Lamers doubled the lead in the 36th minute as she intercepted a clearance attempt by the Medford defense and then fired one in from 25 yards as the Hodags took a 2-0 advantage to halftime.
Weigel added to the lead in the 55th minute as she arched a shot over Brunner from 25 yards out following a cross from McKenna Brown.
"She had a beautiful cross from Kenna on the far outside. We caught them on a switch, which we've been working and Kenna sent a beautiful ball up there," Bates said. "Leah was exactly where she needed to be a put a beautiful shot into the back of the net."
Lamers rounded out the scoring in the 62nd minute with a play she has converted a number of times this season. She won a 50-50 ball at the edge of the attacking third, dribbled into range and fired home from roughly 20 yards to score her team-leading 22nd goal of the year.
"She's a killer and we know that," Bates said. "She's going to have a heck of a season again next year. She's a great player. She works her butt off, on and off the field, in everything she does. She's the last to leave practice and she's a heck of a player. She's driven and she did a great job again."
Sophomore Mya Krouze was back in goal after missing last Tuesday's contest against Mosinee due to a hand injury sustained in pregame warmups. She made five saves, all in the first half, to earn the shutout.
As it has often during the winning streak, the Hodag defense kept the heat off of Krouze much of the night.
"Our defense has been playing top notch and they continue to do it," Bates said. "They're a force to be reckoned with back there. We've got a great line back there. They're moving the ball up the field well versus just kicking it away. Every one of them is doing their job and doing a great job at it."
Hodags go green for mental health awareness
On Tuesday night, green was much more than just a school color for the Hodags. Rhinelander wore special uniforms in honor of May being Mental Health Awareness month. The black uniforms included bright green ribbons, which is the symbol for the cause.
"The girls wanted to do something for it because they say it's a big problem in the school these days with teenagers, mental health," Bates said.
The team designed and sold commemorative T-shirts for the game, and donated the proceeds of the sale - a check for $500 - to The Human Service Center of Forest, Oneida and Vilas Counties.
"Mental health is a struggle that the majority of teammates struggle with," Lamers said in a prepared statement during the halftime presentation. "The Human Service Center provides counseling, teaches responsibility and helps protect customers and their privacy."
"We were able to donate $500 off the sales that the made to a local organization for a very good cause to help out people in our community," Bates said. "It was really cool what they did and I'm proud of them for doing it. It's a great cause."
Tougher games ahead
Rhinelander looked to run its winning streak to 12 games as it traveled to Antigo yesterday in a game that concluded after deadline for today's edition. It kicked off games a stretch of three games in three days for the Hodags.
Rhinelander is at the D.C. Everest Invite this weekend, where it will take on Onalaska this afternoon and New Richmond tomorrow morning.
"We've got some tough competition with Onalaska starting on Friday and New Richmond on Saturday," Bates said. "It will be a good test for the girls. They need some really, really tough competition going into regionals, because we have some tough opponents in that bracket. They need to test themselves and see what they can do against these bigger teams."
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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