Hodag soccer drops games against Merrill, Shawano

Eight games into the season, the Rhinelander High School boys’ soccer team is still looking for its first goal of the season.

That did not come in either of the Hodags’ last two contest as they were shut out at home by Shawano 7-0 on Saturday followed by a 3-0 loss to Merrill Tuesday at Mike Webster Stadium. 

The work in progress continues for coach John Vojta’s side in his first year skippering the Hodags (0-7-1, 0-3-1-0 Great Northern). He said following Tuesday’s match progress is being made, it is just taking time for that progress to show on the scoreboard.

“I’m expecting different things from them, from a game standpoint, and it’ll come together. It may take two years, but it’ll come together,” he said. “I think, you know, the important thing is I got to go back into the locker room and keep it positive with these guys, because they left everything out here tonight. I can never say due to lack of effort.”

Merrill 3, Rhinelander 0

The Bluejays scored twice in the first half and tacked on an insurance goal in the 56th minute to defeat the Hodags 3-0 on Tuesday in Great Northern Conference play. 

Caleb Gennrich converted a penalty kick for Merrill in the 10th minute and Jackson Pierce added a goal for the Bluejays with eight seconds remaining in the first half as he found space nearly in end line in the Rhinelander box and fired home a shot on a tough angle to the far post. 

Erik Grunenwald added a score in the second half for Merrill as a centering pass from Connor Zdroik went through keeper Caden Ehrhardt’s hands, giving Grunenwald a tap-in. 

Shots were 19-11 in favor of Merrill in the match and the Bluejays had a 10-2 edge in shots on goal. The Hodags’ best looks came in the latter part of the first half. Aiden Lueder found space at the top of the 18 in the 20th minute, but tugged his attempt just wide left of the post. It was a similar story for Charlie Johnson on a hard shot from roughly 25 yards in the 35th minute, but his attempt narrowly missed the frame wide right. 

“If it was nil-nil, you know, even at 1-0, going into the locker room, even at 2-0, going in the locker room, I was optimistic coming out of the locker room that we’d put one in the back of the goal,” Vojta said. “We just didn’t muster that, so we had nobody to look at but ourselves.”

Gennrich’s PK was not without contention as Ehrhardt was called for a foul for making contact with the Merrill striker on a diving attempt to snuff out Gennrich’s breakaway attempt. Replay and photographs show Ehrhardt diving at, and deflecting, the ball for the initial save before getting run into by Gennrich.

Asked for his interpretation of the play and what explanation he got for the call, Vojta replied, “No comment.”

Shawano 7, Rhinelander 0

    Rhinelander’s Aiden Lueder possesses the ball during the first half of a non-conference boys’ soccer game against Shawano at Mike Webster Stadium Saturday, Sept. 13. (Bob Mainhardt for the River News)
  

The Hodags struggled Saturday at home against a quality non-conference opponent, falling to Shawano 7-0 as part of a triangular at Mike Webster Stadium. 

The Hawks led 4-0 at halftime and tacked on three more goals after the break. Grayson Swedberg recorded a hat trick for Shawano, Anderson Schmidt scored twice and Ryan Schwitzer and Brayden Mead had a goal each.

Shawano finished with a 44-4 edge in total shots. All four of Rhinelander’s shots were on goal. The Hawks put 19 shots on frame. Eric Parish played the first half for Rhinelander, recording seven saves. Ehrhardt made five saves in the second half.

Shawano’s quality was evident after playing GNC-leading Lakeland to a 0-0 draw earlier in the day, but Vojta said the mental effects of a tough start to the season were evident for his team on Saturday.

“We played Lakeland (and lost) 7-0. This is 7-0. we’re a young team, we’ve got a lot to do. They got eight, nine starting seniors,” he said. “They’ve got some players. But we got to figure out our level of commitment as a team. We got guys in and out of the door here that want to be here sometime and not here all the time, and that’s gonna change. We’re gonna change that culture.”

Up next

Rhinelander traveled to Northland Pines Thursday for a GNC match that concluded after press time for today’s edition. See RiverNews

Online.com for a recap and read a fill report in the Tuesday, Sept. 23 edition of the River News. 

The Hodags will close out the first half of conference play this coming Tuesday as they host Antigo.

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].