Hodag soccer stunned by Antigo 1-0

ANTIGO — For all the ups and downs the Rhinelander High School boys’ soccer team has had over the years, the one thing it could always count on was an ability to take care of conference rival Antigo. 

That certainty went away on Thursday in a bizarre and wild game. 

Johnny Wissbroecker scored in the fourth minute and that held up as the Red Robins defeated the Hodags 1-0 in Antigo. 

It marked Antigo’s first win over Rhinelander since prior to 2003, as far back as Wisconsin Valley Conference records are available. Antigo pulled a surprising tie against the Hodags back in 2019, but the longtime also-ran in the Great Northern Conference is slowly beginning to find its form. The Robins defeated Medford last year for their first on-field victory in conference play as a member of the GNC (Antigo was credited with a forfeit win over Mosinee in 2011 after the Indians vacated the match due to the use of an ineligible player). 

Antigo already knocked off Medford this year and added Rhinelander to its list on Thursday as it looks to finish off of the bottom of the conference table for the first time since it placed eighth in a nine-team WVC in 2005. 

All of this occurred while RHS boys’ soccer coach Nathan Bates was home sick. He spoke with his side over the phone at halftime, but that wasn’t enough to spark a comeback.

“Our boys just had to climb out from there,” acting Hodag head coach Morgan Voigt said afterward. “We put up quite a fight. The shots, we were pretty even across the board, equal opportunities, we just had a hard time capitalizing on finishing.”

Wissbroecker’s opener came just seconds into the fourth minute, after the Hodags were called for a foul just outside their own box. Wissbroecker came open off a Parker Chaney free kick and deposited what proved to be the lone goal of the match. 

“We had an unlucky call just outside the 18, a little miscommunication happened within the box and Antigo capitalized on our mistake there,” Voigt said.

That’s not to say the final 76 minutes were devoid of action — far from it. The second half alone featured three penalty kick chances and a red card that rendered the Hodags short-handed for the final half hour. 

    Rhinelander goalkeeper Barak Rappley dives in an effort to save a penalty kick by Antigo’s Diego Flores Martinez during the second half of a GNC boys’ soccer match in Antigo Thursday, Oct. 3. Martinez’s goal on the shot was disallowed, because the officials had not whistled the ball ready for play prior to Martinez attempting his kick. (Jeremy Mayo/River News)
  

In a wild sequence, Antigo’s Diego Flores Martinez saw three penalty kick chances go for naught mere seconds apart in the 50th minute. Rhinelander defender Karter Massey was whistled for contact just inside his 18, awarding Martinez his first look from the spot. Rhinelander keeper Barak Rappley dove to his right and swatted away Martinez’s attempt but, in the scrum for the loose ball along the end line, Massey was called for another foul, giving Martinez another chance. 

This time Martinez beat Rappley to the far post — or so he thought. In the midst of the celebration, the goal was disallowed because officials had not whistled the ball ready for play prior to Martinez’s kick, forcing him to redo the try. Attempt No. 3 sailed over the crossbar and the Hodags dodged a bullet.

“I feel like that drove our boys to keep on pushing. The game wasn’t over yet. We were in the game the whole time,” Voigt said. 

That all changed moments later when Hodag midfielder Michael Schiek was shown a red card and ejected from the contest after getting pushed by Martinez on a hard challenge. Voigt said the reason given for the card was “dissent” after the officials had just warned both sides — but not brandished a yellow card — for their chatter in what was becoming an increasing physical affair. 

“He explained it as he spoke with the captains. They were under the understanding that we’re not questioning, disrespectfully or going ‘Hey ref, did you see it?’ in wanting these calls called,” she said. “The ref explained to me anything after that’s a direct red. It was just a tough game. I’m unsure how that fully unfolded, but that’s the explanation I got, and it is what it is at this point.” 

Antigo missed a chance to add to its lead in the 63rd minute as Connor Umland rang a shot off the top-right corner of the crossbar and, after that, all the chances started to flow Rhinelander’s direction. 

Hart Hokens got free on a run moments later but a Martinez slide tackle forced a premature shot from the top of the 18, which turned into a routine save for keeper Logan Griese. 

Hokens got a look again in the 75th minute as he tried to weave between defenders from close range. The rebound came out to Asher Rivord, who had his reply blocked and Aiden Ostermann saw a third chance from 40 yards narrowly clear the crossbar high. 

Rhinelander got one final chance on a corner kick in the dying seconds, but Griese plucked the ball out of the air before the Hodags could redirect it and ran out the clock for the Antigo win. 

Despite being down a man, the Hodags outshot Antigo 16-8 in the second half and held a 26-14 edge in total shots for the match. The struggle proved to be getting those shots on target, as Rhinelander finished with a narrow 9-8 edge in shots on goal.

“The boys, especially after Mikey unfortunately got pulled out and we were playing with 10, they gave it their all,” Voigt said. “We were connecting passes, getting all of these opportunities. They played with every bit they had that second half. We just couldn’t get it to happen. We had two go off the crossbar, one go just over that the keeper wasn’t really watching. We had the opportunities, it just wasn’t our night to find the back of the net.”

Antigo’s defense frustrated the Hodag offense, especially in the first half. Rhinelander was whistled offsides eight times in the match, including six times over the opening 40 minutes. 

“Antigo was playing that offsides trap brilliantly. We had more offsides this game than I think we’ve had most of the season,” Voigt said. “They stood on that midfield line and they knew we were trying to use out speed up top. They held their line. They didn’t budge, even if our forwards were going back. They held it and our boys just wanted to run straight instead of playing the game.”

Rhinelander (3-7-1, 2-3-0-1 Great Northern) remained fourth in the GNC with the defeat, but now sits only a point ahead of the Red Robins in the conference table with a tough week ahead. The Hodags will have to face Lakeland tonight without Schiek, whose red card carries with it an automatic one-game suspension. The Hodags will then travel to Mosinee on Thursday. 

Rhinelander lost to Lakeland 3-0 on the road last month and defeated Mosinee at home, 2-0.

“We won’t have Mikey the next game that we have, but we just have to keep going, working what we have and what we know,” Voigt said. “We’re in the second half of the season. We’ve got to keep picking it up, reboot from these, work our passing game and it was an off night. We can only grow from here.”

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].