April 24, 2023 at 9:19 a.m.
Hodag soccer continues hot streak, rips Merrill 8-0
Hodag soccer continues hot streak, rips Merrill 8-0
The Hodags ran their winning streak to four games on Thursday night. Ava Lamers and Sophie Miljevich each recorded hat tricks, and Leah Jamison chipped in a pair of goals, as Rhinelander knocked off Merrill 8-0 a non-conference contest in the Hodag Dome.
Rhinelander (4-2-0, 2-0-0-0 Great Northern) has outscored its opponents 27-1 in the four-game surge and has now posted three consecutive shutouts. The Hodags have not conceded a shot on goal in either of their last two contests, which both ended at 60 minutes due to the eight-goal mercy rule.
With rivals and GNC contenders Northland Pines and Lakeland on the docket this week, coach Nathan Bates said the Hodags' confidence is building following their recent run of play.
"They're moving the ball well. It seems like everybody's starting to figure each other out and click, which is really nice to see," he said. "We tried out a couple new positions for some of the girls and it looked like it worked pretty well."
Rhinelander came out of the gates quickly yet again on Thursday, scoring three times in the first 10 minutes and leading 6-0 at halftime. It marked the third straight game in which the Hodags have scored at least six goals in the first 40 minutes.
Jamison got things going in the fourth minute, finishing a cross from Leah Weigel from 15 yards out. Miljevich added to the tally with an unassisted goal in the eighth minute and Lamers went on a run for a score in the 10th minute. She dispossessed a Merrill attacker at the edge of the Hodags' defensive third and carried the ball all the way to the top of the Merrill 18 before bending a shot to the top left corner.
Lamers scored again from long range, firing home from just inside 25 yards in the 25th minute. Jamison netted her second of the night in the 32nd minute after Morgan Van Zile switched the field and found Jamison open on the rear flank for a one-touch shot from 25 yards. Lamers slotted a ball ahead to Miljevich for a breakaway finish in the 39th minute.
Miljevich, a sophomore, completed her hat trick and scored her seventh goal of the season in the 46th minute. She found the ball in a congested box off a corner kick and fired home a one-touch finish. Lamers netted her 12th goal of the year and rounded out the scoring in the 49th minute, converting a breakaway off a through ball by Nevaeh Rappley.
The Hodags looked clinical in their attack, putting forth 45 shots - 22 of which were on goal. Bates said the patient offense was by design.
"We didn't want to be rushing. The message was sent to the girls the other night against Antigo, in the second half, that we don't want to force anything, we want to make it happen," he said. "We really emphasized that this evening before the game. We wanted the girls to be making things happen, instead of forcing them to happen, and they did that tonight. That's exactly what they did. They did exactly what we asked out of them. They weren't trying to force anything home. They were looking for the opportunities when they presented themselves and, if it wasn't there, they were opening up the defense, bringing them out and then finishing."
Merrill mustered only one weak, off-target shot late in the second half. With junior Mya Krouze unavailable for the non-conference matchup which was added to the schedule only three days before it was played, sophomore Emalee Detienne recorded her first varsity start and her first varsity shutout.
"She was very nervous going into it but, all the pressure the defense did have this evening, they were able to handle it just fine," Bates said. "Emalee's been looking really, really good at practice and she'll get a JV game (Friday) so we she how she does there."
The Hodags have a big test looming on the road at defending GNC champion, and preseason conference favorite, Lakeland on Thursday. But first the Hodags must get past Northland Pines at home this evening.
The Eagles have had a habit of playing spoiler in the conference race the last few seasons. They took Rhinelander to penalty kicks in Eagle River last year, costing the Hodags the one point that ultimately proved to be the difference between Rhinelander and Lakeland for the conference title.
The Eagles played Lakeland tough Thursday night, falling 1-0 in a match that ended up taking place at Rhinelander's Mike Webster Stadium with neither Lakeland nor Northland Pines' field ready for play.
"You can't overlook Pines, I've said that from Day 1," Bates said. "They might have had a slow start to the season but (coach Rodney Sternhagen) always puts together a solid program and you can never underestimate them at all. We're going to go into that game expecting a really tough game and we'll see what happens."
Rhinelander is scheduled to face Lakeland at IncredibleBank Field in Minocqua Thursday night. The Hodags and T-Birds split their season series last year. The Hodags won the first meeting 1-0 in Rhinelander and Lakeland took the rematch 6-1 in Minocqua.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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