October 17, 2022 at 8:42 a.m.
RHS soccer closes with win, looks forward to postseason
RHS soccer closes with win, looks forward to postseason
Braden Mork tallied a hat trick and the Hodags rolled over Antigo 8-0 at Mike Webster Stadium. The win closed a 10-2-3 regular season for Rhinelander in which it tied Lakeland for second in the Great Northern Conference.
The playoffs begin this Thursday at home against Ashland.
Rhinelander broke Thursday's game open with four goals in the final eight minutes of the first half and then were able to mix and match personnel in the second half before ending it via the mercy rule at the 60-minute mark.
"The kids went out and they did their job early," Hodag coach Nathan Bates said. "Once we got up on them, they wanted to do some things they haven't gotten to do basically all high school career. Tonight was that night to do it. They had a good time and they still played good soccer and we accomplished what we wanted to accomplish."
There were a number of usual suspects in the attack. Mork scored three times, Kyle Wiese had a pair of goals, Will Quinn tallied three assists and the Hodags also got scores from Mason Shinners and Will Gretzinger.
Then there was one unusual number on the scoresheet on senior night. With the game well in hand after the 50-minute mark, the Hodags subbed senior goalkeeper Cooper Radke out of the net and gave him an opportunity to play in the field. Moments later, he was tripped inside the Antigo box and converted a penalty kick for his first varsity goal.
"It was kind of ironic (that it came on a PK), but he got a goal and he wanted to get one in high school and he was able to do that tonight. It was fun to see," Bates said.
Mork gave the Hodags the lead in the fifth minute as he drilled a cross from Wiese inside the right post. Rhinelander didn't find the back of the net again until the 33rd minute, when the floodgates finally opened.
Wiese converted a breakaway chance from Mork up the right flank to start the barrage. Shinners found space on a Garrett Younker through ball and converted just more than a minute later. Quinn made a nifty flick with the heel to put Mork on another breakaway, which he converted in the 38th minute. Wiese scored off a Charlie Heck deep cross to the right flank in the 39th minute.
The first half played out similarly to the first meeting between the teams in Antigo Sept. 15 - also won by the Hodags 8-0. Following a slow start, the Hodags changed their tactics and started scoring in bunches.
"Again they bunched the box and the kids, I don't know why we have to keep telling them to go wide when they're doing that, utilize our outsides," Bates said. "Once they did that, we did fine. It took a little bit, but they got the job done."
Mork finished his hat trick off a Will Quinn pass in the 51st minute. Quinn found Gretzinger in close proximity to the net for a goal in the 54th minute and Radke's penalty-kick goal in the 55th minute rounded out the scoring.
Rhinelander outshot Antigo 39-2 in the match. Radke made both saves before giving way to Barak Rappley in the 51st minute.
Rhinelander, as the No. 2 seed in its nine-team half sectional, will open the tournament against seventh-seeded Ashland this Thursday at Mike Webster Stadium. The Oredockers went 5-9-3 during the regular season, but come in with some form. Ashland played Barron to a 0-0 draw last Tuesday before beating Cumberland 1-0 Thursday in its regular season finale.
"They play a 4-3-3 and they've got some good players on the team," Bates said. "They're definitely not a team to underestimate. I think our boys are going to show them that Rhinelander is (seeded) No. 2 for a reason right now."
A win for Rhinelander would likely set up a rematch with Lakeland in the regional finals Saturday night. The third-seeded T-Birds open the tournament against sixth-seeded New London on Thursday.
GNC champion Medford, which was upset by Northland Pines 1-0 on Thursday, is the top seed in the bracket and could await the Hodags in the sectional semifinal round - should both teams make it that far.
"We're going to do it one game at a time and take it from there," Bates said. "There's a good possibility that we'll see Lakeland again in the second round. As you know, we're 1-1 with each other and it's going to be a battle.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
WEATHER SPONSORED BY
E-Editions
Latest News
E-Editions
Events
August
To Submit an Event Sign in first
Today's Events
No calendar events have been scheduled for today.
Comments:
You must login to comment.