May 25, 2023 at 7:54 a.m.
Hodag soccer ends regular season with 7-3 win
Hodag soccer ends regular season with 7-3 win
Ava Lamers netted three goals and Leah Weigel scored twice as the Hodags knocked off Mosinee 7-3 at Mike Webster Stadium.
The Hodags (12-5-0, 8-2-0-0 Great Northern) led pretty much from start to finish, though a couple of lapses allowed Mosinee (3-9-1, 3-6-0-1 Great Northern) to get within a goal at 3-2 in the 23rd minute. Even so, the Indians could not keep pace with Rhinelander's attack.
"I'm happy with the 7-3 victory. I don't like the three in the back of the net, but I like the seven part of it," Hodag coach Nathan Bates said.
The Hodags raced out to a 3-0 lead less than 12 minutes into the contest before Mosinee made a bit of a push. Rhinelander responded with the final two goals of the first half and cruised in the second.
Corner kicks proved to be an effective weapon for Rhinelander on Tuesday. The Hodags had only five of them in the match, but they resulted in three goals.
Sophie Miljevich got the scoring started for Rhinelander, as she put a corner kick directly on net in the fifth minute. Keeper Morgan Hoernke bobbled the shot, which crossed the goal line before she could regather it.
Both of Rhinelander's second-half goals also started from the corner. Miljevich sent the ball on net again in the 45th minute. Though Hoernke stopped this one, the rebound caromed out to Kinzie Arneson for a rebound finish at the top of the six. Lamers completed her hat trick in the 56th minute with a perfectly-timed run that allowed her to head in a Miljevich corner.
"Corner kicks were awesome tonight. We got three put in the back of the net set up off corners. That was great to see," Bates said.
Weigel gave Rhinelander a 2-0 lead in the 11th minute after Hoernke denied a point-blank chance by Lamers. The rebound came out to Weigel at the edge of the 18. She took one touch to set up a left-footed finish just underneath the crossbar.
Lamers then sliced through three Mosinee defenders to tuck home a close range shot an extend the lead to three in the 12th minute.
Mosinee got back into the game in the 21st minute as Gabby Muñoz found a rebound off a Estelle Gorski free kick and redirected it home. Mosinee's leading scorer, Kaitlyn Selle, scored moments later, getting around the Hodag defense on a through ball by Muñoz.
"It was like once we got up 3-0 we kind of just said, 'Ah, we're good.' We weren't yet because Selle had other things in mind," Bates said. "But, at the end of the day the girls played a great game tonight. We put a lot of pressure on them and a lot of goals in the back of the net."
Lamers restored order in the 30th minute, taking a pass up the right flank by Morgan Van Zile before weaving through defenders for a point-blank finish. Weigel fired home a cross from Lamers in the 37th minute to give Rhinelander a 5-2 halftime advantage.
"Leah Weigel was on fire shooting from the outside. All and all the midfield and the offense played very well," Bates said.
Mosinee added a goal in the 46th minute on a Barbara Verzura breakaway chance.
The Hodags outshot Mosinee 35-16 in the match. Mya Krouze stopped six shots in the victory.
Rhinelander will open the WIAA tournament next Thursday at home against Medford. The Hodags received the third seed in their nine-team half sectional. Bates said Sunday's seeded meeting went as anticipated with Ashland receiving the No. 1 seed and GNC champion Lakeland getting the No. 2 seed. The T-Birds will face Mosinee in the first round.
After losing the regular season matchups 2-0 and 1-0, the Hodags would potentially get a third crack at Lakeland in a regional final June 3, assuming both teams win their first-round matchups.
"We look forward to the playoffs coming up here," Bates said. "The girls are excited. They want to try to get another crack here and want to see how far we can go. We're going to practice hard going into it and try to go out and win every game we can."
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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