September 1, 2022 at 2:52 p.m.
Deja vu in Medford: Hodags fall to Raiders in PKs
Deja vu in Medford: Hodags fall to Raiders in PKs
The game ended in a 1-1 draw, with Medford taking a subsequent penalty kick shootout 6-5 for an extra point in the conference standings.
The result was virtually identical to how Rhinelander's season came to an end last year when they played the Raiders to a 1-1 tie in Medford in the first round of the WIAA tournament. That penalty kick shootout also went beyond the first five players, with the Raiders prevailing, 5-4.
"It seems to be a theme when we play Medford. At the end of the day we came up short, but we are beyond proud of the boys they showed a lot of heart and fought until the very end as a team," Hodag coach Nathan Bates said.
Kyle Wiese's long-range free kick in the 68th minute tied the game for Rhinelander, cancelling out a Zach Rudolph header goal on a rebound in the 48th minute. The Hodags forced the game to penalties despite being outshot 21-15.
Rhinelander led 4-3 entering the fifth round of the shootout. Medford exchange student Naut van Meurs converted to the top right corner to tie it for Medford. Neil Weigel had a chance to win it for the Hodags but his shot seeking the low right post was stopped by Medford's Jake Dassow. Two rounds later, after Mason Gripentrog converted to put the Raiders up 6-5, Dassow tipped Will Quinn's shot over the bar to give Medford the win.
"The kids put the placement shots where they were supposed to," Bates said. "We practice these and we knew who we had selected going into it because we've literally been practicing these. It's a guessing game with the keepers. They way we were always taught when I played keeper is you choose one way and you stick to it the whole time and odds are going to be with you one or two times and you're going to be close. That's what it was tonight. It was luck of the draw."
The game was another physical, contentious chapter in the Medford-Rhinelander rivalry. The game featured 25 fouls and six yellow cards.
Rhinelander was whistled for 17 fouls in the match to Medford's eight. Bates admitted some of the calls left him scratching his head.
"A lot of strange calls happened that I didn't understand and they weren't very clear," he said. "I'm not saying that cost the game or anything like that, because Medford had a very, very strong, solid team, like we anticipated. But there was a lot of strange officiating that went on this evening and didn't quite understand a lot of it to be honest with you, but it is what it is."
Rhinelander was booked four times in the match. Those were the Hodags' first yellow cards of the season, but the team must be mindful moving forward. A total of 24 yellow cards accumulated during the course of the regular season would make Rhinelander ineligible for playoff competition, under WIAA regulations.
"I've never been involved in a game with that many yellow cards. That was a first for me," Bates said. "It's unfortunate that there were that many yellow cards called this evening but, going forward, hopefully that doesn't happen again. That's what I'm kind of banking off of."
Ironically, the Hodags benefitted directly from one of the Raiders' two yellow cards. Medford's Yonatan Murillo Aguirre was booked for slide tackling Rhinelander's Braden Mork from behind on a run up the right flank. Wiese took the ensuing direct free kick from 35 yards and sliced it inside the right post to square the match.
"Kyle drilled one in the back of the net, beautiful placement," Bates said.
Medford struck first on a scrum in front of the Rhinelander goal. Aaron Schield got behind the Rhinelander defense and centered a pass to Silas Wipf at the top of the six-yard box. Wipf's shot hit the crossbar, but the rebound took one hop to Rudolph, who nodded it home.
"Medford had a goal there with, obviously a lot of bobbling going on back by the net and it finally ended up going in," Bates said.
Medford nearly took the lead on a similar play in the 13th minute off a van Meurs free kick that struck the right goalpost. Wipf was in position for the rebound inside the six-yard box, but did not redirect it cleanly and Rhinelander keeper Cooper Radke was able to smother the ball just before it crossed the goal line.
That was the best scoring chance for either side as Medford controlled possession, and the game, in the first half.
"We started off a little slow," Bates said. "Medford came out on fire and our boys kind of got into a defensive slump there for a while. We were just getting battered back there. We had a couple of opportunities, but there weren't very many in the first half."
Radke made 10 saves in the match for the Hodags.
Mork, Charlie Heck, Shane Petrick and Garrett Younker all converted for Rhinelander in the first four rounds of the shootout. Wiese later converted to send the shootout to a seventh round. Schield, Rudolph, Vincent Seidl, van Meurs, Nick Kowalski and Gripentrog made PKs for Medford.
The two teams will meet again Sept. 22 in Rhinelander.
"The conference is still within reach, in my opinion and, going forward, we'll have a great year," Bates said. "I know the boys played well and, from my mind, what I've seen from all the teams in the conference, I think Medford's the top runner at the moment."
Rhinelander hosted Northland Pines Thursday night in a match that concluded after press time for today's edition. The Hodags head to D.C. Everest Tuesday for a non-conference matchup before heading to Lakeland Sept. 8 to take on the defending GNC-champion Thunderbirds.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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