Hodag soccer gets first win, beats Antigo 3-1

The Rhinelander High School boys’ soccer team finally found the back of the net, and the win column, Thursday night. 

Hart Hokens had a goal, assisted on another, and the Hodags defeated the Antigo Red Robins 3-1 at Mike Webster Stadium.

Back following a mandatory one-game suspension after getting red-carded in a season-opening 1-0 loss to New London, Hokens provided a boost to a Hodag offense that was without starter Asher Rivord (illness) Thursday night. Rhinelander also got first-half goals from Michael Schiek and Charlie Johnson as they improved to 1-1-1 on the season. 

“We were able to come away with the win tonight,” Hodag coach Nathan Bates said. “It’s a work-in-progress. I said that at the beginning to the year. The kids haven’t played much together. I’ve seen improvement every game — some improvements in certain areas and then some setbacks, and then some improvements and some setbacks. It’s a work-in-progress. All and all the boys are doing OK.”

Two days after going 0 for 3 in a penalty kick shootout loss to Medford, the Hodags’ struggles from the penalty spot continued Thursday. Rhinelander missed two penalty kick chances in the first half after Antigo was whistled for separate hand ball fouls inside their own 18. 

Schiek still made good on the first opportunity despite Antigo goalkeeper Logan Griese denying his chance to the left post. Schiek was first to the rebound and poked the ball past a scrambling Griese to give the Hodags a 1-0 lead in the 17th minute. 

Sophomore Aidan Lueder had a chance to add to the Hodags’ lead in the 32nd minute following another handball, but rang his chance off the crossbar. 

“That’s another work-in-progress. We work on it every practice and I’m hoping, maybe, by the end of the season we’ll have them down,” Bates said, noting on the Schiek goal “it was nice to see the boys crash the box after the rebound.”

Johnson, a sophomore, added to the Hodags’ lead less than a minute after Schiek’s opener as he finished a cross from Hokens from roughly 15 yards away. 

The Hodags’ two-goal lead did not last long, however. Antigo answered off of its first and only corner kick of the match with Jack Stronstad getting his head on the ball in the ensuing scrum and nodding it past keeper Barak Rappley in the 27th minute. 

The score remained 2-1 until the hour mark when Hokens provided Rhinelander with some key insurance. He gathered a clearance punt from Rappley near the edge of the attacking third, outmaneuvered a pair of Antigo defenders and fired a shot from 16 yards inside the left post. 

Bates said Hokens’s speed up top afforded the Hodags more offensive chances than it had it its first two contests. 

“It created a lot of opportunities this evening,” he said. “Some of the through balls we couldn’t get the right touch on them, they were too hard or to soft. We had a lot of opportunities up there and Hart created a lot of opportunities.”

Rhinelander outshot Antigo 21-4 in the match and had a 10-3 edge in shots on goal. Rappley made two saves in the win. 

    Rhinelander’s Aiden Ostermann defends Antigo’s Jacob Adamski during the first half of a GNC boys’ soccer game at Mike Webster Stadium Thursday, Sept. 5. Ostermann was back in the Hodags’ lineup after missing the first two games with a leg injury. (Bob Mainhardt for the River News)
  

The Hodags got a lift on the defensive line as senior Aiden Ostermann returned to the lineup after missing the first two games due to a leg injury. 

“It’s a huge boost. He’s been out for a little while so he’s go some improving to do and has got to knock a little bit of the rust off, but it’s great to have him back,” Bates noted.

The Hodags are back in action tonight as they host Mosinee at Mike Webster Stadium. Despite losing all seven of their all-conference players from last year’s GNC-championship squad, the Indians played to a 1-1 draw with preseason conference favorite Lakeland on Thursday before falling in penalties, 5-3.

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].