Hodag girls’ soccer takes down Medford to get back in win column

After traveling to Menomonee Falls to gain experience against the talents of Cedarburg and Menomonee Falls, the Rhinelander High School girls’ soccer team found the win column again when they traveled to Medford to take on the Red Raiders in a GNC matchup on April 28. Up 1-0 at half, the Hodags scored three times in the second and cruised to a 4-1 win.

The scoring was led by Vivian Lamers, who had two goals in the contest, both in the second half. Her first came at the 55:54 mark on a penalty kick as she sent one to the top right corner of the net, just out of the outstretching arm of the Medford goalkeeper. The final goal of the game was also scored by Lamers, this time in the 80th minute. She came in from the perimeter as her teammates were fighting for possession on the inside.  

“(Lamers) has been playing some really solid soccer, she’s doing a great job this season,” head coach Nathan Bates said. Bates added that she’s one of the many important pieces of the puzzle this season. 

“All of the girls included, Ella Miljevich too. I mean, every time she gets a hold of the ball, she’s doing a fantastic job with distributing the ball also finishing as well ... Honestly, I’m proud of the whole team. It’s not just a one-person game,” he said. 

“We can’t just base it on one person always. We have to base it off the whole team and they have to be playing together as one unit to have the success that they’re having, and they’re doing a very good job at playing together as a team and having that success together as a unit.”

Jordan Manske opened the scoring for the Hodags when she was assisted by Gabby Wanta. Wanta won a foot race toward the corner to send the ball back to the front of the net for Manske to send home. 

Wanta had a goal of her own eight minutes into the second half after an attempted shot from Lamers ricocheted of a Red Raider and to Wanta before she pushed one past the left side of the goalkeeper. 

“It felt really good to get back in the win column again,” Bates said. “The girls played a really solid, good passing game and good pressure on the team the whole time against Medford. So it was good to get back into that column.” 

Bates added that the pair of non-conference games over the weekend served as a learning experience for his team to see the solid competition of Menomonee Falls and Cedarburg. 

Rhinelander conceded a goal in the 77th minute to Medford’s Mallory Richter. It was one of just three shots the Raiders mustered in the match. Rylee Mickevicius made two saves in the Hodag goal.

    Rhinelander’s Ella Mijevich controls the ball, defended by Medford’s Mallory Richter during the first half of a GNC girls’ soccer game at Medford Tuesday, April 28. (Matt Frey/Star News)
  

Looking ahead, Bates said, “a lot of that’s going to just depend on the girls and the coaches. We can coach all we want, but, you know, we can’t force them to go out and pressure every single game the way that we think that they should. But with this group of girls first off, they always step up for competition and they’re always, you know, trying to succeed and do well in all areas of life in general, sports, academics, all of it. So, we really don’t have to get them motivated too often. It’s typically, they show up and they’re ready to give it.”

The Hodags will take their motivation to Mike Webster this evening at 7 p.m. as they face the Hayward Hurricanes. They traveled to Mosinee on Thursday after the conclusion of press time for this edition, so look for results from those two contests in Tuesdays edition of River News. 

Blake Richard may be reached via email at [email protected].